Date of Award

May 2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Engineering

First Advisor

Mohammad H Rahman

Committee Members

Brahim Brahmi, Veysi Malkoc

Keywords

3-DoF, Exoskeleton, Forearm Pronation/ Supination, Rehabilitation, Wrist Flexion/ Extension., Wrist Radial/ Ulnar Deviation

Abstract

The research conducted under this project directly contributes to the development of a forearm and wrist rehabilitation robot (UWM-FWRR). Upper extremity impairment following stroke, trauma, sports injuries, occupational injuries, spinal cord injuries, and orthopaedic injuries results in significant deficits in hand manipulation and the performance of everyday tasks. Strokes affect nearly 800,000 people in the United States each year. Rehabilitation programs are the main method of promoting functional recovery in individuals with finger impairment. The conventional therapeutic approach requiring a long commitment by both the clinician and the patient. Robotic devices (RDs) are novel and rapidly expanding technologies in hand rehabilitation. However, existing RDs have not been able to fully restore hand functionality as they cannot provide the independent joint control and levels of velocity and torque required. Our customer discovery [1] reveals that therapists often prescribe therapeutic devices for passive arm/leg movement assistance but no therapeutic devices exist for combined hand, wrist, and forearm movements that can be used at home/clinic. Regaining hand strength and mobility plays an important role in supporting essential activities of daily living, such as eating, and thus has the potential to improve the physical and mental status of both stroke patients and their family caregivers. Therefore, through this research author has develop UWM-FWRR that can provide rehabilitative exercises for forearm and, wrist movements. In contrast to existing RDs, developed UWM-FWRR is a portable, light weight, low cost, and novel powered rehabilitation device that will be developed to provide therapeutic exercises to a wide group of patients with different degrees of impairments. This innovation provides an opportunity for the patients to perform exercises not only with the guidance of a therapist at clinic but also be used at home as a telerehabilitation device through smartphone application (Future works).

Download

Share

COinS