A mobile parallel manipulator for the elbow rehabilitation of parkinsonian patients

Abstract

This study presents a two degrees of freedom (DoF) parallel manipulator that enables Parkinsonian Patients to regularly do the assigned rhythmic tasks in order to reduce the symptoms of motor disorders. Considering the elderly patients who constitute the majority of the Parkinsonians, the robot is designed to be portable to serve people to consistently take therapy at home. Moreover, the robotic platform is designed to be adjustable for any anthropometric size of a human arm in order to allow people to ergonomically perform tasks. The kinematic analysis and control of the five-bar parallel robot are carried out to ensure that users can do upper extremity coordination on the anthropometrically compatible workspace.