Soft Wearable Robot Adaptive to Individual Shoulder Differences for Respiratory Rehabilitation

In this paper, we present a wearable robot designed to perform scapular adduction and stretch the chest and back muscles using a cable-driven mechanism. The system is intended to provide respiratory muscle stretching for senior adults with limited scapular and thoracic mobility, relieve the sensation of dyspnea, and prevent the decline of respiratory function. The mechanism is based on modeling of the shoulder girdle motion, allowing for simple alignment adjustments and adaptation to different shoulder geometries. We verified the device functionality with two users. The results confirmed scapular adduction by the robot and enabled users to stretch within a pain-free range. The proposed robot actuates the targeted joints and monitors forces, which can facilitate rehabilitation for users and encourage their active participation in the rehabilitation exercise.