Development and preliminary testing of a novel wheelchair integrated exercise/ rehabilitation system

The people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) or post stroke hemiplegia are easily exposed to secondary problems due to limited mobility. A new wheelchair integrated lower limb exercise/rehabilitation system is proposed to help their daily living and rehabilitation. The system consists of three main modules: 1) an electric wheelchair, 2) a lifter which raises and supports the subject's body weight, and 3) a lower limb exoskeleton. This paper describes the concept of the entire system and configurations of the prototype. In the design of the lower limb exoskeleton, the ergonomic joint mechanisms are introduced to assist the natural daily motions based on the biomechanics of each hip, knee and ankle joint.