Title: Innovative development of a spherical parallel robot for upper limb rehabilitation

Authors: Calin Vaida; Nicolae Plitea; Giuseppe Carbone; Iosif Birlescu; Ionut Ulinici; Adrian Pisla; Doina Pisla

Addresses: Technical University Cluj-Napoca, Memorandumului Street 28, Cluj-Napoca 400114, Romania ' Technical University Cluj-Napoca, Memorandumului Street 28, Cluj-Napoca 400114, Romania ' University of Cassino and South Latium, Via G. Di Biasio 43, 03043 Cassino, Italy ' Technical University Cluj-Napoca, Memorandumului Street 28, Cluj-Napoca 400114, Romania ' Technical University Cluj-Napoca, Memorandumului Street 28, Cluj-Napoca 400114, Romania ' Technical University Cluj-Napoca, Memorandumului Street 28, Cluj-Napoca 400114, Romania ' Technical University Cluj-Napoca, Memorandumului Street 28, Cluj-Napoca 400114, Romania

Abstract: Post-stroke robotic rehabilitation is an ever increasing field of research that aims to offer custom care with maximised effectiveness. This paper presents the necessity of pursuing further improvements in said field as well as the factors that contributed towards the development of an innovative yet simple spherical-parallel robotic device targeting the rehabilitation of the upper human limb. A conceptual device entitled ASPIRE is proposed. The robotic system kinematics and singularities are derived to assert the robot functionality for the rehabilitation exercises. Moreover, two design structures are presented for the ASPIRE system, and motion simulations are performed.

Keywords: spherical parallel robot; upper limb rehabilitation; kinematics; singularities; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMRS.2018.096302

International Journal of Mechanisms and Robotic Systems, 2018 Vol.4 No.4, pp.256 - 276

Received: 14 Mar 2018
Accepted: 01 Aug 2018

Published online: 22 Nov 2018 *

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