Towards development of robotic aid for rehabilitation of locomotion-impaired subjects

Scientists at the Department of Physiological Science at the University of California Los Angeles and roboticists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory initiated a joint effort to develop a robotic mechanism capable of performing controlled motions equivalent to the arm and hand motions of therapists assisting the stepping of locomotion impaired subjects on a treadmill, while the subjects´ body weight is partially supported by an overhead harness. A first necessary technical step towards this development is to measure and understand the kinematics and dynamics of the therapists´ arm and hand motions as they are reflected on the subjects´ leg movement. This paper describes an initial measurement system developed for this purpose together with the related measurement results, and outlines the planned future technical work