NUVABAT: Northeastern university virtual ankle and balance trainer

The ability to control the ankle muscles and produce adequate range of motion in the ankle joints are key components of gait and balance function. Patients who suffer from neurological impairments, such as stroke or traumatic brain injury, frequently lose gait and balance function due in part to loss of ankle control. Described in this paper is a unique two degree of freedom (DOF) mechatronic device with a virtual reality interface that has been developed to meet the needs of such patients for ankle and balance rehabilitation. The Northeastern University Virtual Ankle and Balance Trainer (NUVABAT) rehabilitation system has five components: i) a patient-actuated device; ii) control software; iii) a practitioner graphical interface; iv) virtual reality software; and v) training software. The system can be used for measurement of ankle kinematics and balance function as well as for retraining motor control of the ankle, and can be used in either a sitting or standing position to accommodate early and late phases of rehabilitation training. We report here the details of the various design features and initial testing of the device.