GOALI: Active Knee Rehabilitation Orthotic Device with Variable-Damping Characteristics For Stroke Patient Rehabilitation

GOALI：具有可变阻尼特性的主动膝关节康复矫形器，适用于中风患者康复

• 批准号: 0828772
• 负责人: Constantinos Mavroidis
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Northeastern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-15 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0828772&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GOALI; Active; Knee; Rehabilitation; Orthotic

PI: Mavroidis, ConstantinosProposal Number: 0828772Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States; with approximately 730,300 new cases and about 160,000 deaths in the United States annually. Approximately 80% of stroke survivors present an early motor deficit, with about 50% having chronic deficits. Loss of mobility due to muscle weakness and spasticity and thus impaired gait is a major contributor to post-stroke disability. Novel treatments are needed to serve as training aids for reestablishing efficient gait patterns, and as assistive devices to address residual motor impairments and functional limitations. During the last ten years, robotics and mechatronics have emerged as new research areas of great relevance to rehabilitation. Robotics and mechatronics offer the promise of sensitive, objective measurements and mobility assistance by using novel wearable and computer controlled active devices. The proposed project brings together experts in robotics, precision manufacturing, biomechanics, and stroke medicine with the goal of considerably improving the quality of life of stroke patients.The research goals of this project are to develop and test a novel, smart and portable Active Knee Rehabilitation Orthotic Device (AKROD) designed to train stroke patients to correct knee hyperextension during stance and stiff-legged gait (defined as reduced knee flexion during swing). The knee brace will provide variable damping and torque actuator capabilities controlled in ways that we hypothesize foster motor recovery in stroke patients. Two different components of the device will be developed: a resistive (variable damper) and an active (torque actuator) component. The variable damper component of the brace will be used to facilitate knee flexion during stance by providing resistance to knee buckling. Furthermore, the knee brace will be used to assist in knee control during swing, i.e. to allow patients to achieve adequate knee flexion for toe clearance and adequate knee extension in preparation to heel strike. The torque actuator component will be used to encourage patients to actively extend the knee during midto-terminal stance, facilitate knee flexion during initial swing, and again encourage knee extension during mid-to-terminal swing. Algorithms for establishing appropriate control of the knee brace will be developed. Using data from both normal volunteers and hemiplegic stroke survivors, we will create training programs for the knee orthosis to assist patients in re-establishing a natural gait pattern.The intellectual merit of the proposed project is the major enhancement of gait retraining in stroke patients and considerable improvement of orthotic intervention in the home and community settings. A wearable and portable smart training orthosis, as the one developed and tested in this project, could be used by patients throughout daily activities, with constant reinforcement of the targeted gait pattern. This constant reinforcement of gait retraining in a real-world environment has the potential to provide more effective and faster gait retraining, improving one's ability to ambulate. The educational, broader impact and outreach activities of this project include: the initiation of undergraduate students in research, the establishment of collaborative projects in biomedical engineering and robotics with the science and technology high schools of Massachusetts, the organization of a conference special session, a seminar series and a webpage on portable and wearable rehabilitation devices, the performance of graduate and undergraduate student internships in industry, and, in partnership with NU's School of Technological Entrepreneurship (STE), the organization of a one semester I-cubator (student)project on market analysis and business planning for new technologies on wearable active knee orthoses. This 3-year GOALI project will be performed jointly by Northeastern University (NU) of Boston, MA, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (SRH) of Boston, MA (a Harvard Medical School affiliated institution) and WGI Inc. of Southwick, MA.

中风是美国第三大死亡原因；美国每年约有730,300例新病例，约有16万人死亡。大约80%的中风幸存者表现出早期运动缺陷，其中约50%有慢性缺陷。由于肌肉无力和痉挛而导致的活动能力丧失以及步态受损是卒中后残疾的主要原因。需要新的治疗方法作为训练辅助，以重建有效的步态模式，并作为辅助装置，以解决残余的运动损伤和功能限制。在过去的十年中，机器人和机电一体化已经成为与康复密切相关的新研究领域。机器人和机电一体化通过使用新颖的可穿戴和计算机控制的主动设备，提供了敏感，客观的测量和移动辅助的承诺。该计划汇集了机器人、精密制造、生物力学和中风医学方面的专家，目标是大幅改善中风患者的生活质量。该项目的研究目标是开发和测试一种新颖、智能和便携式的主动膝关节康复矫形器（AKROD），旨在训练中风患者纠正站立时膝关节过度伸展和腿僵硬步态（定义为摆动时膝关节屈曲减少）。膝关节支架将提供可变阻尼和扭矩执行器功能，我们假设这种控制方式可以促进中风患者的运动恢复。该装置的两个不同组件将被开发：一个电阻（可变阻尼器）和一个主动（扭矩执行器）组件。支架的可变阻尼器组件将用于在站立期间通过提供膝关节屈曲的阻力来促进膝关节屈曲。此外，在挥拍过程中，膝关节支具将用于辅助膝关节控制，即允许患者达到适当的膝关节屈曲以清除脚趾和适当的膝关节伸展以准备脚跟撞击。扭矩致动器组件将用于鼓励患者在中端站立时主动伸展膝关节，在初始摆动时促进膝关节屈曲，在中端摆动时再次鼓励膝关节伸展。算法建立适当的控制膝关节支架将被开发。使用来自正常志愿者和偏瘫中风幸存者的数据，我们将创建膝关节矫形器的训练计划，以帮助患者重新建立自然的步态模式。所提出的项目的智力优点是主要加强了卒中患者的步态再训练，并大大改善了家庭和社区环境中的矫形干预。在这个项目中开发和测试的一种可穿戴和便携式智能训练矫形器可以被患者在日常活动中使用，并不断加强目标步态模式。这种在现实环境中不断加强的步态再训练有可能提供更有效、更快的步态再训练，提高人的行走能力。该项目的教育、更广泛的影响和推广活动包括：启动本科生的研究，与马萨诸塞州的科技高中建立生物医学工程和机器人合作项目，组织会议特别会议，系列研讨会和关于便携式和可穿戴康复设备的网页，开展研究生和本科生在工业中的实习，并与东北大学的技术创业学院合作，组织一个为期一学期的关于可穿戴主动膝关节矫形器新技术的市场分析和商业规划的i - incubator（学生）项目。这个为期三年的GOALI项目将由马萨诸塞州波士顿的东北大学（NU）、马萨诸塞州波士顿的斯波尔丁康复医院（SRH）（哈佛医学院附属机构）和马萨诸塞州南威克的WGI公司共同实施。