An Integrated Physical Therapy/ Rehabilitation Robotic System for Military Healthcare Enhancement

Hstar proposes propose an integrated reconfigurable haptic feedback rehabilitation robot (RehaBot) system using SEA (series elastic actuators) that a) allows multiple reconfigurable and progressive rehabilitation training procedures for upper and lower limbs, b) provides telepresence rehabilitation training consultation and remote supervision, c) creates gait retraining scenarios for variable ambulatory tasks (e.g. stair climbing, ascending a ramp) and types of terrain, d) supports advanced safety and intervention through haptic feedback and real-time monitoring, e) realizes a compact and multifunction platform integration. No robotic system currently exists that would meet all of these needs. Our primary innovation is a reconfigurable haptic feedback non-treadmill rehabilitation robotic system using built-in safety actuator technology SEA. Our technology also includes virtual reality, programmable and reconfigurable training procedures under variable terrain scenarios such as a selected set of terrains for walking and different tasks for arm reaching and grasping. The system supports progressive training via computer control and optimization. The RehaBot uses a non-treadmill robotic training platform in control of the lower limbs which facilitates the simulation of training on variable terrains. The system would also provide upper limb robot training functions.