Design of a robotic wrist rehabilitator
A stroke is a condition where the brain rapidly loses its functions because of a disturbance in the blood supply. This medical emergency can cause neurological damage, sometimes resulting in a permanent loss of the ability to move the limbs on one side of the body. In Singapore, with about...
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Format: | Final Year Project |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2009
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10356/15725 |
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Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
Language: | English |
Summary: | A stroke is a condition where the brain rapidly loses its functions because of a
disturbance in the blood supply. This medical emergency can cause neurological
damage, sometimes resulting in a permanent loss of the ability to move the limbs
on one side of the body. In Singapore, with about 10,400 patients admitted to
hospitals yearly for either stroke or transient ischemic attacks, it is the fourth most
common cause of death, and the top cause of long term disability.
Patients with disabling strokes undergo a treatment called stroke rehabilitation. The
main aim of the treatment is to enable them to return and lead as normal a life as
possible by helping them to regain and relearn the skills of everyday living. As stroke
rehabilitation exercises are repetitive, robotic devices are being researched to take
over the task of nurses. Robotic therapy has also shown to have a positive effect on
the patient.
The objective of this project is to design a biologically inspired wrist rehabilitator for
the purpose of restoring the wrist motion range of patients. Although certain
difficulties were encountered, a bio‐mechanical Robotic Wrist Rehabilitator was
developed and fabricated. The device uses stepper motors to provide linear
actuation in order to rotate the patient’s wrist. Initial testing showed positive
results with respect to the performance of the device. Possible further
developments, as well as minor improvements to the design, were stated at the end
of this report. |
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