Research of training and evaluation aid device with DOF selective constraint mechanism for hemiplegic upper limbs rehabilitation

As sequelae of stroke, hemiplegia is a typical symptom, where paralysis occurs in the half the body because of brain damage. In this study, we have developed selectable constraint mechanism for hemiplegic upper limb training. By using this mechanism, it became possible to separate synergic movement while flexion-extension training of shoulder and elbow by constraining each individual joints. As the clinical trial result, the shoulder-elbow UE-FMA sub-scores improved significantly. In addition, we proposed NMES timing control system and evaluation method for sensing the flexion-extension movement of the elbow and shoulder joints.