Editorial: Rehabilitation robotics: Challenges in design, control, and real applications

Abstract

In the last decade, research focused on rehabilitation robotics has progressed from proposing restricted or rigid solutions in a clinical setting to portable devices compliant with the user and also adapted to the their requirements, based on their disability and the rehabilitation training program. Novel techniques have inspired the evolution of rehabilitation devices from hard and bulky to soft, lightweight, and fully wearable. For example, biologically inspired actuators have relaxed the constraint of having to rely on rigid supports, as the skeletal system can be used to that end. Furthermore, the use of synergies havehas led to a reduction of in the number of actuators and improved their control. Moreover, the latest advances in modeling and simulation have allowed for assessing and compensating for fatigue, as well as simulating the use of assistive devices out of aclinical environment. All these research achievements have enabled anew generation of portable rehabilitation devices. In the present Frontiers Research Topic, novel techniques for the design, simulation, sensing, and control of rehabilitation devices are presented for rehabilitation devices such as powered exoskeletons, neuroprostheses, and equipment for moving the rehabilitation environment out of the clinical setting.