On the design of an exoskeleton for neurorehabilitation: design rules and preliminary prototype

The neurorehabilitation robotics is a promising research field that allows improvements of the therapy effects. Some interesting systems for the neurorehabilitation of the upper limb are based on standard robotic arms and their applicability and effectiveness are based on the presence of patient's residual motor control synergy. On the other side, the exoskeletons overcome the single joint control allowing the full control of the arm kinematics. This paper presents the first results obtained at ARTS lab for the development of an exoskeleton for upper limb, starting from one of its building block that is a stand-alone active orthesis for functional assessment of the human wrist. We are addressing the design with a biomechatronic approach, based on an extensive analysis of the state-of-the-art. The design rules of sensorized wrist orthesis for functional assessment of the wrist and its first prototype are presented.