Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation
This paper presents control design and implementation for a power-assisted mobile trainer that employs neuro-developmental treatment (NDT) principles. NDT is a gait rehabilitation technique for stroke patients that provides minimum intervention at critical gait events. Traditional NDT rehabilitation...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Machines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/12/1/61 |
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| author | Fu-Cheng Wang Wei-Ren Pan Chung-Hsien Lee Szu-Fu Chen Ang-Chieh Lin Lin-Yen Cheng Tzu-Tung Lin |
| author_facet | Fu-Cheng Wang Wei-Ren Pan Chung-Hsien Lee Szu-Fu Chen Ang-Chieh Lin Lin-Yen Cheng Tzu-Tung Lin |
| author_sort | Fu-Cheng Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper presents control design and implementation for a power-assisted mobile trainer that employs neuro-developmental treatment (NDT) principles. NDT is a gait rehabilitation technique for stroke patients that provides minimum intervention at critical gait events. Traditional NDT rehabilitation is an effective post-stroke treatment but is also time consuming and labor intensive for therapists. Therefore, we designed a mobile NDT trainer to automatically repeat therapists’ intervention patterns, allowing patients to receive sufficient training without increasing therapists’ workloads. Because the trainer was self-propelled, it could cause burdens to stroke patients with limited muscle strength, thereby potentially degrading the rehabilitation effects. Hence, this paper proposes a power-assisted device that can let the mobile trainer follow the user, allowing the subject to focus on the rehabilitation training. We conducted system identification and control design for the power-assisted NDT trainer. We then implemented the designed controllers and tested the trainer. Finally, we invited 10 healthy subjects and 12 stroke patients to conduct clinical experiments. After using the power-assisted NDT trainer, most participants exhibited improvements in swing-phase symmetry, pelvic rotation, and walking speed. Based on the results, the power-assisted device was deemed effective in facilitating stroke rehabilitation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:42:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1317e4b8fdff4784b854027b2f057f93 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1702 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:42:55Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Machines |
| spelling | doaj.art-1317e4b8fdff4784b854027b2f057f932024-01-26T17:24:31ZengMDPI AGMachines2075-17022024-01-011216110.3390/machines12010061Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke RehabilitationFu-Cheng Wang0Wei-Ren Pan1Chung-Hsien Lee2Szu-Fu Chen3Ang-Chieh Lin4Lin-Yen Cheng5Tzu-Tung Lin6Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, TaiwanDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, TaiwanDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, TaiwanDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 112, TaiwanDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 112, TaiwanDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 112, TaiwanDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 112, TaiwanThis paper presents control design and implementation for a power-assisted mobile trainer that employs neuro-developmental treatment (NDT) principles. NDT is a gait rehabilitation technique for stroke patients that provides minimum intervention at critical gait events. Traditional NDT rehabilitation is an effective post-stroke treatment but is also time consuming and labor intensive for therapists. Therefore, we designed a mobile NDT trainer to automatically repeat therapists’ intervention patterns, allowing patients to receive sufficient training without increasing therapists’ workloads. Because the trainer was self-propelled, it could cause burdens to stroke patients with limited muscle strength, thereby potentially degrading the rehabilitation effects. Hence, this paper proposes a power-assisted device that can let the mobile trainer follow the user, allowing the subject to focus on the rehabilitation training. We conducted system identification and control design for the power-assisted NDT trainer. We then implemented the designed controllers and tested the trainer. Finally, we invited 10 healthy subjects and 12 stroke patients to conduct clinical experiments. After using the power-assisted NDT trainer, most participants exhibited improvements in swing-phase symmetry, pelvic rotation, and walking speed. Based on the results, the power-assisted device was deemed effective in facilitating stroke rehabilitation.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/12/1/61neuro-developmental treatmentstrokerehabilitationassistedgaitmotor |
| spellingShingle | Fu-Cheng Wang Wei-Ren Pan Chung-Hsien Lee Szu-Fu Chen Ang-Chieh Lin Lin-Yen Cheng Tzu-Tung Lin Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation Machines neuro-developmental treatment stroke rehabilitation assisted gait motor |
| title | Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation |
| title_full | Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation |
| title_fullStr | Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation |
| title_short | Control Design for a Power-Assisted Mobile Trainer: Applied to Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation |
| title_sort | control design for a power assisted mobile trainer applied to clinical stroke rehabilitation |
| topic | neuro-developmental treatment stroke rehabilitation assisted gait motor |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/12/1/61 |
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