BACKGROUND Several clinical studies on chronic stroke conducted with end-effector-based robots showed improvement of the motor function in the affected arm. Compared to end-effector-based robots, exoskeleton robots provide improved guidance of the human limb and are better suited to train task-oriented movements with a large range of motions. OBJECTIVE To test whether intensive arm training w...

Off-the-shelf rehabilitation devices are currently prescribed to assist patients with stroke. Current fabrication processes of custom-made rehabilitation devices are time consuming and laborious. The process could be only performed by skilled therapists. In addition, quantitative assessment of mechanical properties is crucial in the design of customized rehabilitation devices. By the design and...

Upper-extremity exoskeletons have demonstrated potential as augmentative, assistive, and rehabilitative devices. Typical control of upper-extremity exoskeletons have relied on switches, force/torque sensors, and surface electromyography (sEMG), but these systems are usually reactionary, and/or rely on entirely hand-tuned parameters. sEMG-based systems may be able to provide anticipatory control...

Vision-based Pose Estimation (VPE) represents a non-invasive solution to allow a smooth and natural interaction between a human user and a robotic system, without requiring complex calibration procedures. Moreover, VPE interfaces are gaining momentum as they are highly intuitive, such that they can be used from untrained personnel (e.g., a generic caregiver) even in delicate tasks as rehabilita...

Exoskeletons that enhance human strength, endurance, and speed while being transparent to the wearer are feasible. In order to be transparent, the exoskeleton must determine the user’s intent, apply forces when and where appropriate, and present low impedance to the wearer. We present a one degree of freedom exoskeleton called the RoboKnee which achieves a high level of transparency. User inten...

People prefer to move in ways that minimize their energetic cost. For example, people tend to walk at a speed that minimizes energy use per unit distance and, for that speed, they select a step frequency that makes walking less costly. Although aspects of this preference appear to be established over both evolutionary and developmental timescales, it remains unclear whether people can also opti...

Gravity has a strong effect on gait and the speed of gait transitions. A gait has been defined as a pattern of locomotion that changes discontinuously at the transition to another gait. On Earth, during gradual speed changes, humans exhibit a sudden discontinuous switch from walking to running at a specific speed. To study the effects of altered gravity on both the stance and swing legs, we dev...

BACKGROUND Wearable measurement of center of pressure (COP) coordinates is the key of obtaining the measurement of natural gait. Plantar pressure insole is the right sensing unit for plantar pressure monitoring for long-term outdoor measurements and the control of walking assisting exoskeleton robot. It's necessary to study the configuration of pressure sensing cells. METHODS This study explo...

Metal and bioessential element concentrations were measured in three species of 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) to determine how cicada tissue chemistry is affected by soil chemistry, measure the bioavailability of metals from both uncontaminated and lead-arsenate-pesticide contaminated soils, and assess the potential risks of observed metal contamination for wildlife. Periodical c...

The electromyographic signals abbreviated as EMG, represent the amount of electrical potential generated by the muscle cells when they contract or when they are at rest. Basically, EMG signals can be classified into two types according to the place where they are extracted. The EMG signals detect from inside of the muscles are called as intramuscular EMG whereas EMG signals detect from skin sur...