Kinematics, Dynamics and Control for Rehabilitation Robotics and Prostheses

A special issue of Computation (ISSN 2079-3197). This special issue belongs to the section "Computational Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 613

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Electronics and Mechatronics, Technological University of Mixteca, Huajuapan de León 69000, Oaxaca, México
Interests: rehabilitation robotics; mechanical vibration; mobile and rescue robotics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of devices for assistance in physical rehabilitation and prostheses to replace any lost body member is an area where robotic technology has found promising applications that can impact a person’s life. Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of the use of robotic devices in rehabilitation processes, and many people have benefited from prostheses replacing a lost member and improving their quality of life. However, despite technological advances in actuating and sensing technologies, in the development of new materials, and in artificial intelligence applications, there are still many challenges in the design, analysis, control, prototyping, and testing of robotic rehabilitation devices and prostheses for diverse parts of the human body. The kinematics and dynamics of prostheses and rehabilitation robots are related to biomechanics studies, playing an important role in the development of these kinds of devices. Kinematic analysis deals with the relation between the input and output movement variables, ranges of motion, velocities, and accelerations of actuators and final effectors. Dynamics is described by differential equations, which relate forces or torques in the actuators with output movements of prostheses or robotic devices. These relationships are used to synthesize control algorithms to guarantee the correct performance of autonomous systems. As can be observed, kinematics, dynamics, and control are key issues in designing, analyzing, and implementing prostheses and robotic devices for rehabilitation assistance. Moreover, they intrinsically include sensors, actuators, signal processing, modeling, simulation, and prototyping.

This Special Issue aims to cover all of the above-mentioned aspects, highlighting novel or recent mathematical and/or computational methods for developing kinematic or dynamic models, simulating virtual prototypes, and designing and implementing control systems for robotic prostheses and rehabilitation devices.

Dr. Manuel Arias-Montiel
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • kinematic analysis
  • dynamic modeling
  • mathematical methods
  • collaborative simulation
  • motion control
  • rehabilitation robotics
  • robotic prosthesis
  • exoskeletons

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 3392 KiB  
Article
Impedance Controller Analysis for a Two-Degrees-Of-Freedom Ankle Rehabilitation Machine with Serious Game Interactions
by Oscar I. Cirilo-Piñon, Agustín Barrera-Sánchez, Cesar H. Guzmán-Valdivia, Manuel Adam-Medina, Rafael Campos-Amezcua, Andrés Blanco-Ortega and Arturo Martínez-Mata
Computation 2025, 13(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation13010007 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 289
Abstract
An ankle sprain can be caused by daily activities such as running, walking, or playing sports. In many cases, the patient’s ankle suffers severe or permanent damage that requires rehabilitation to return to its initial state. Thanks to technological advances, robotics has allowed [...] Read more.
An ankle sprain can be caused by daily activities such as running, walking, or playing sports. In many cases, the patient’s ankle suffers severe or permanent damage that requires rehabilitation to return to its initial state. Thanks to technological advances, robotics has allowed for the development of machines that generate precise, efficient, and safe movements. In addition, these machines are manipulated by a specific control depending on the rehabilitation objective. Impedance control is used in ankle rehabilitation machines for active–resistive-type rehabilitation, where the patient participates by exerting a force on the machine repeatedly. Serious games are an example of an activity where the patient can interact with a video game while rehabilitating. Currently, most machines involving impedance control and targeted at serious gaming applications are mechanically composed of one degree of freedom, so the addition of another degree is a novelty. This paper presents simulation results comparing different impedance controls reported in the literature to determine the best option for applying a 2-DOF ankle rehabilitation machine using serious games. The results obtained are presented by comparing them according to the force applied to the rehabilitation machine (emulating the behavior of a patient). From the impedance controllers analyzed for horizontal (abduction/adduction) and vertical (dorsiflexion/plantarflexion) movements in the rehabilitation machine, it was determined that the PD control, which considers some mechanical parameters, presents a better performance. With this controller, fast and smooth angular movements are generated, while the consumption of kinetic energy is kept in a low range, proportional to the applied forces, compared to the other impedance controls analyzed. Full article
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