Development of an exoskeleton for the rehabilitation of the flexo-extensor movement of the elbow

Abstract

In this research work, the development of an electro-mechanical device for the rehabilitation of the flexor-extensor movement of the elbow with rehabilitative potential is presented. For the development of this prototype, an elbow joint was designed and built which allows movements from 0 ° to 120 °. The design of the gear system was carried out using Solid Edge software from a previous selection of the step motor that offered enough torque to achieve flexion and extension of the elbow, then for the construction of this system a 3D printing was used in PLA. This system was coupled to a hinged arm stabilizer system. The prototype is operated from a software application on Android using the IDE MITapp inventor, which sends the desired angulation to an Arduino device which implements a digital control system. To improve the perception of exoskeleton therapy, a telerehabilitation software application was developed using IDE processing and a Kinect body recognition device, which guides the patient in an interactive therapy where they perform the rehabilitation of flexion and extension movement by guiding a virtual object from one angle to another.

Keywords

• elbow
• exoskeleton
• movement
• rehabilitation