Concept design of a novel robotic spinal brace for the treatment of scoliosis. (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Niu, Xinjian; Yang, Chifu; Han, Junwei; Agrawal, Sunil K
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Volume 232:Number 12(2018:Dec.)
• Page Start: 1230
• Page End: 1244
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: Robotic brace -- scoliosis -- genetic algorithm -- motion control -- force control; Biomedical engineering -- Periodicals; Medical instruments and apparatus -- Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1177/0954411918810703
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-4119

Abstract

This article presents a novel robotic brace for the treatment of scoliosis. The motivation of this new device comes from the shortcomings in current braces including the rigid brace and the soft brace. Besides, the novel active brace can be used not only for applying active corrective forces on spine, but also for the rehabilitation exercise. The design and control architectures are described for the novel brace and genetic algorithm is used to obtain optimal structural parameters. Two Stewart platforms connected in series form this brace which is driven by 12 electric actuators. Each platform can be controlled in motion or force mode independently. The device can move in six orientations in motion mode and apply six-degree-of-freedom forces on the spine in force mode. In order to evaluate the function and performance of the dynamic brace system, a simple proportional–integral–differential control strategy is employed in both the two control modes. Experimental results depict that the proposed device can respond to the desired position/force commands excellently.