Dampace: dynamic force-coordination trainer for the upper extremities

Abstract

According to reviews, training with upper-extremities rehabilitation robotics is at least as good as regular stroke rehabilitation, probably because the robotics increase the training intensity for the patients. As an alternative to the functional approach mimicking activities of daily living, targeted force-coordination training may also have its benefits. Our passive exoskeleton, the Dampace, has controlled braking on the three rotational axes of the shoulder and one of the elbow. It is designed to combine functional training of activities of daily living with force-coordination training. The Dampace exoskeleton can assist in identifying causes behind the movement disorders of stroke patients, tackle these causes with isolated force-coordination training, possibly simultaneously over multiple joints, and then integrate the isolated training back into a functional, task-specific training protocol. Not needing to align the Dampace axes to the human shoulder and elbow axes overcome some of the difficulties traditionally associated with exoskeletons. Although it adds more complexity, the reduction of setup times to a few minutes and the absence of static reaction forces in the human joints, are major advantages and have been well received by therapists and physicians. Controlled braking instead of actively assisting actuators, has the advantage of inherent safety and always actively participating patients, at the cost of not being able to assist movements or create all virtual environments.