This study focuses on the increasing need for joint rehabilitation devices in the field of elderly care. Limitations in joint range of motion (ROM) can substantially impair activities of daily living. Conventional rehabilitation methods, such as manual therapy and continuous passive motion (CPM) devices, are commonly used. To address this issue, we have developed assistive devices targeting the lower limb joints, with a particular focus on the knee and hip, which play crucial roles in movements such as walking, standing, and squatting. In this work, we propose a passive motion support device using pneumatic soft actuators, with both the placement and structural design of the actuators optimized. The actuators were positioned on the lateral side of the thigh, and a trapezoidal box-shaped design was employed to generate a curved pushing motion, aiming to enhance ROM. Experimental evaluations demonstrated that the device achieved over 95% of the active ROM in the knee and over 85% in the hip compared to pre-intervention values, indicating its potential effectiveness. However, the comparatively lower improvement in hip flexion suggests that further refinement is necessary to fully reach the target ROM.
TANIGUCHI et al. (Wed,) studied this question.