Design, Development and Control of a Therapeutic Robot Incorporating Aquatic Therapy for Ankle Rehabilitation
César H. Guzmán-Valdivia,
Oscar Madrigal-López,
Omar Désiga-Orenday,
Jorge Talavera-Otero,
Jorge A. Brizuela-Mendoza,
César A. Chávez-Olivares,
Oscar Cruz-Domínguez,
Andrés Blanco-Ortega,
Javier Alejandro Berumen-Torres,
Fabio Abel Gómez-Becerra
Affiliations
César H. Guzmán-Valdivia
Center for Engineering Sciences, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes 20340, Mexico
Oscar Madrigal-López
Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Engineering Campus Zacatecas, National Polytechnic Institute, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Omar Désiga-Orenday
Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Engineering Campus Zacatecas, National Polytechnic Institute, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Jorge Talavera-Otero
Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Engineering Campus Zacatecas, National Polytechnic Institute, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Jorge A. Brizuela-Mendoza
Southern University Center, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara 49000, Mexico
César A. Chávez-Olivares
Center for Engineering Sciences, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes 20340, Mexico
Oscar Cruz-Domínguez
Department of Industrial Engineering, Polytechnic University of Zacatecas, Zacatecas 99059, Mexico
Andrés Blanco-Ortega
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Center for Research and Technological Development, National Technological Institute of Mexico, Mexico City 62490, Mexico
Javier Alejandro Berumen-Torres
Academic Unity of Physics, Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98000, Mexico
Fabio Abel Gómez-Becerra
Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Technological Institute José Mario Molina Pasquel y Henríquez, National Technological Institute of Mexico, Guadalajara 48333, Mexico
The simple act of walking can occasionally cause ankle sprains. Traditionally, the rehabilitation of a sprained ankle involves physical therapy. Physical therapy is one of the health professions that help regain mobility through manual exercises. Aquatic therapy is one of the most potent water-based anti-inflammatory methods currently employed that increases local blood circulation, decreases pain and swelling, and promotes speedy healing. Several studies have demonstrated that ankle rehabilitation robots have immense potential in patients’ rehabilitation and recovery; however, these robots cannot be used underwater. This paper introduces the design, development, and control of a therapeutic robot incorporating aquatic therapy for ankle rehabilitation. Its primary objective is to design and control a one degree of freedom ankle rehabilitation robot that can be used in water and can recirculate hot water to simultaneously perform physical therapy and aquatic therapy. To conduct this study, an ankle rehabilitation robot was designed, modeled, developed, and controlled. The design and control techniques were evaluated by means of simulation and experimental results.
