Portable smart wrist rehabilitation device driven by rotational MR-fluid brake actuator for telemedecine applications

Abstract

This paper reports on the current status of the effort conducted at ULB in order to develop a portable muscular rehabilitation device for telemedicine applications. It is divided into four parts. The first part recalls the basic modes of muscular rehabilitation and gives a brief overview of commercial rehabilitation machines as well as portable devices under development. The second part describes the design of the proposed device and justifies the selection of MR-fluid brake actuation. The third part is devoted to the description of the control strategies implemented on the device. Finally, the last part describes preliminary results obtained with the device for the various exercise modes.