Browsing by Author "Matjačić, Zlatko"
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Item Robot-supported assessment of balance in standing and walking(2017-08-14) Shirota, Camila; van Asseldonk, Edwin; Matjačić, Zlatko; Vallery, Heike; Barralon, Pierre; Maggioni, Serena; Buurke, Jaap H.; Veneman, Jan F.; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; Medical TechnologiesClinically useful and efficient assessment of balance during standing and walking is especially challenging in patients with neurological disorders. However, rehabilitation robots could facilitate assessment procedures and improve their clinical value. We present a short overview of balance assessment in clinical practice and in posturography. Based on this overview, we evaluate the potential use of robotic tools for such assessment. The novelty and assumed main benefits of using robots for assessment are their ability to assess 'severely affected' patients by providing assistance-as-needed,as well as to provide consistent perturbations during standing and walking while measuring the patient's reactions. We provide a classification of robotic devices on three aspects relevant to their potential application for balance assessment: 1) how the device interacts with the body, 2) in what sense the device is mobile, and 3) on what surface the person stands or walks when using the device. As examples, nine types of robotic devices are described, classified and evaluated for their suitability for balance assessment. Two example cases of robotic assessments based on perturbations during walking are presented. We conclude that robotic devices are promising and can become useful and relevant tools for assessment of balance in patients with neurological disorders, both in research and in clinical use. Robotic assessment holds the promise to provide increasingly detailed assessment that allows to individually tailor rehabilitation training, which may eventually improve training effectiveness.Item A variable structure pantograph mechanism for comprehensive upper extremity haptic movement training(2010) Oblak, Jakob; Perry, Joel C.; Jung, Je H.; Cikajlo, Imre; Keller, Thierry; Matjačić, Zlatko; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; Medical TechnologiesNumerous haptic devices have been developed for neurorehabilitation of upper extremities, but their wide-spread use has been largely impeded for reasons of complexity and cost. In this paper we describe a variable structure pantograph mechanism that produces a versatile rehabilitation robot for movement training of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The device has three operational modes: ARM, REACH and WRIST. The performance of the mechanism, driven by series elastic actuators, is similar in all three operational modes while using a single control scheme and set of gains. This means a single device with minimal setup changes can be used to treat a variety of upper limb impairments following stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other direct trauma to the arm.Item Variable structure pantograph mechanism with spring suspension system for comprehensive upper-limb haptic movement training(2011) Perry, Joel C.; Oblak, Jakob; Jung, Je H.; Cikajlo, Imre; Veneman, Jan F.; Goljar, Nika; Bizovičar, Nataša; Matjačić, Zlatko; Keller, Thierry; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; Medical TechnologiesNumerous haptic devices have been developed for upper-limb neurorehabilitation, but their widespread use has been largely impeded because of complexity and cost. Here, we describe a variable structure pantograph mechanism combined with a spring suspension system that produces a versatile rehabilitation robot, called Universal Haptic Pantograph, for movement training of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The variable structure is a 5-degree-of-freedom (DOF) mechanism composed of 7 joints, 11 joint axes, and 3 configurable joint locks that reduce the number of system DOFs to between 0 and 3. The resulting device has eight operational modes: Arm, Wrist, ISO (isometric) 1, ISO 2, Reach, Lift 1, Lift 2, and Steer. The combination of available work spaces (reachable areas) shows a high suitability for movement training of most upper-limb activities of daily living. The mechanism, driven by series elastic actuators, performs similarly in all operational modes, with a single control scheme and set of gains. Thus, a single device with minimal setup changes can be used to treat a variety of upper-limb impairments that commonly afflict veterans with stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other direct trauma to the arm. With appropriately selected design parameters, the developed multimode haptic device significantly reduces the costs of robotic hardware for full-arm rehabilitation while performing similarly to that of single-mode haptic devices. We conducted case studies with three patients with stroke who underwent clinical training using the developed mechanism in Arm, Wrist, and/or Reach operational modes. We assessed outcomes using Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment and Wolf Motor Function Test scores showing that upper-limb ability improved significantly following training sessions.