Design and Fabrication of an Ankle Rehabilitation Robot with Active Dorsiflexion-Plantarflexion Control and Free Eversion-Inversion Motion

Abstract

Wearable ankle rehabilitation robots hold significant promise for improving abnormal gait patterns. Numerous foot-ankle gait rehabilitation strategies demand controlling the dorsiflexion-plantarflexion motion of the ankle in order to facilitate and smooth the gait cycle while demanding unhindered natural foot movement across its other axes to maintain lateral stability and adaptation of the foot to various surfaces. This paper introduces the design and fabrication of an ankle rehabilitation robot that, in addition to providing significant assistive torque within a single actively controlled degree of freedom aligned with dorsiflexion-plantarflexion, features a structure that enables unrestricted mobility of the foot and minimizes discomfort and tension on the patient’s body. Furthermore, it proposes an assist-as-needed control strategy that provides more flexibility to adapt to different rehabilitation strategies.