Development of a Wearable Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robot Based on Reinforced Soft Pneumatic Actuators

Abstract Dyskinesia of the upper limbs caused by stroke, sports injury, or traffic accidents limits the ability to perform the activities of daily living. Besides the necessary medical treatment, correct and scientific rehabilitation training for the injured joint is an important auxiliary means during the treatment of the effected upper limb. Conventional upper-limb rehabilitation robots have some disadvantages, such as a complex structure, poor compliance, high cost, and poor portability. In this study, a novel soft wearable upper limb rehabilitation robot (SWULRR) with reinforced soft pneumatic actuators (RSPAs) that can withstand high pressure and featuring excellent loading characteristics was developed. Driven by RSPAs, this portable SWULRR can perform rehabilitation training of the wrist and elbow joints. In this study, the kinematics of an SWULRR were analyzed, and the force and motion characteristics of RSPA were studied experimentally. The results provide a reference for the development and application of wearable upper limb rehabilitation robots. An experimental study on the rotation angle of the wrist and the pressure of the RSPA was conducted to test the effect of the rehabilitation training and verify the rationality of the theoretical model. The process of wrist rehabilitation training was tested and evaluated, indicating that SWULRR with RSPAs will enhance the flexibility, comfort, and safety of rehabilitation training. This work is expected to promote the development of wearable upper-limb rehabilitation robots based on modular reinforced soft pneumatic actuators.