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This paper presents the design and kinematics of a four degree-of-freedom upper extremity rehabilitation robot for stroke therapy, to be used in conjunction with the Mirror Image Movement Enabler (MIME) system. The RiceWrist is intended to provide robotic therapy via force-feedback during range-of-motion tasks. The exoskeleton device accommodates forearm supination and pronation, wrist flexion and extension, and radial and ulnar deviation in a compact design with low friction and backlash. Joint range of motion and torque output of the electric-motor driven device is matched to human capabilities. The paper describes the design of the device, along with three control modes that allow for various methods of interaction between the patient and the robotic device. Passive, triggered, and active-constrained modes, such as those developed for MIME, allow for therapist control of therapy protocols based on patient capability and progress. Also presented is the graphical user interface for therapist control of the interactions modes of the RiceWrist, basic experimental protocol, and preliminary experimental results.
O’Malley et al. (Sun,) studied this question.