A mechanism for elbow exoskeleton for customised training.

Abstract

It is well proven that repetitive extensive training consisting of active and passive therapy is effective for patients suffering from neuromuscular deficits. The level of difficulty in rehabilitation should be increased with time to improve the neurological muscle functions. A portable elbow exoskeleton has been designed that will meet these requirements and potentially offers superior outcomes than human-assisted training. The proposed exoskeleton can provide both active and passive rehabilitation in a single structure without changing its configuration. The idea is to offer three levels of rehabilitation; namely active, passive and stiffness control in a single device using a single actuator. The mechanism also provides higher torque to weight ratio making it an energy efficient mechanism.