Robotic Orthosis for Assisting Physical Rehabilitation

Robotic Orthosis for Assisting Physical Rehabilitation: Comprehensive Design, Implementation and Automatic Control Strategies presents a comprehensive study for designing advanced robotic orthosis that may contribute to the rehabilitation process of human beings. The book analyzes the mechanical design, electrical instrumentation, automatic control design, and validation methods of robotic orthoses. In the first chapters, a precise and complete description of the mechanical design methods for active orthoses is provided, showing the design schemes, efficient and useful materials, as well as the class of components needed to enforce the adequate interaction between the orthotic device and human user.

The second part of the book analyzes electrical/electronic elements as well as the automatization strategies that may be implemented for developing active orthoses. The relevance of sensors and actuators that can drive the regulated motions that correspond to planned rehabilitation strategies is also presented. The third part of the book analyzes the clinical process needed to validate and apply robotic orthoses in medical protocols as well as established treatments. Examples of upper and lower limbs, spinal cord, and neck orthoses are completely developed. These examples are illustrated at two levels - numerical simulations, and actual experimental evaluations of the proposed devices.