A self-aligning end-effector robot for individual joint training of the human arm

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWCurrent evidence indicates that individual joint training with robotic devices can be as effective as multi-joint training for the arm. This makes a case for developing simpler and more compact robots for training individual joints of the arm. Such robots have the highest potential for clinical translation. To this end, the current work presents the kinematic design and optimization of a six degrees-of-freedom (dof) end-effector robot with three actuated dof and three non-actuated self-aligning dof for safe assisted training of the individual joints (shoulder or elbow) of the human arm, with relaxed constraints of the relative positioning of the human limb with respect to the robot. Further, we present a simple estimation procedure to automatically identify the kinematic parameters of the human limb essential for control of the human-robot closed kinematic chain.