Development of an Omni-directional Lower Limb Rehabilitation Mobile Robot

Abstract

A novel omni-directional mobile robot for lower limb rehabilitation is proposed for the needs of stroke patients. The robot consists of an omni-directional mobile platform equipped with MY3 wheels, a lower limb joint module and a hip support module for rehabilitation training and assisted mobility. Parameters of the normal walking gait pattern are evaluated and obtained. The omni-directional mobile platform was designed based on the MY3 wheel modules. The lower limb joint module is designed in combination with cam and synchronous belt mechanism to achieve multi-degree of freedom movement with a single drive, which can assist patients in executing normal gait during general training. The overall kinematic model of the robot is developed for motion control by applying the velocity equation and the D-H method. The prototype of robot is developed and experiments are conducted on unloaded operation and manned linear trajectory walking. Experimental results show that the robot can achieve a simple mechanism to guide the movement of the lower limb in the desired gait pattern. The study demonstrates the concept and feasibility of this new lower extremity gait rehabilitation robot.