Research and Development of an Intelligent Control System for an Ankle rehabilitation Robot

该项目将研究用于关节康复的机器人的控制系统及其有效性，主要集中在中风等神经损伤和运动相关损伤。将在工业中比较这些机器人中使用的某些控制系统的有效性，并利用本研究提出一种新的智能控制系统。智能控制系统应该是新颖的，包括深度学习和人工智能的各个方面。所提出的控制系统将用于使用气动肌肉作为执行器的踝关节康复机器人。在整个开发过程中，将对机器人进行测试，并根据控制值对控制系统的有效性进行量化。一旦该系统得到充分开发，将提议对人类参与者进行测试，以验证其有效性。该项目的目的是研究、开发和测试一种用于脚踝康复机器人的智能控制系统。该项目的目标是：-研究目前关于康复机器人及其控制系统的文献-在大学机器人实验室了解和使用脚踝康复机器人；包括软件——为踝关节机器人开发一种新的智能控制系统——测试智能系统与使用更普通的控制系统测试获得的控制值——与人类参与者一起测试智能控制系统。这个项目的潜在应用包括提高机器人辅助踝关节康复的有效性，并有可能使NHS等医疗服务机构能够使用功能性康复机器人。这将有助于治疗师照顾中风患者和其他患有损害关节运动的神经系统疾病的患者，允许更有效的治疗并减轻治疗师的体力负担。该项目的一个更短期的好处是，目前用于康复的机器人不是很友好，不能很容易地适应病人的特殊需求。智能控制系统将允许一个更直观的界面，在治疗过程中更少需要治疗师的物理干扰，并为患者定制训练值和练习。在这个项目中，脚踝机器人的使用对于测试和训练是必要的，但控制系统的应用扩展到大多数康复机器人，考虑到参数的微小变化，因为学习方面应该允许控制系统对任何执行器设置和所需的运动范围起作用。

This project will research control systems and their effectiveness in robots used for rehabilitation of joints, primarily focused on neurological injuries such as strokes, and sport-related injuries. The effectiveness of certain control systems used in these robots in industry will be compared and using this research a new intelligent control system will be proposed.The intelligent control system should be novel and include aspects of deep learning and AI.The proposed control system will be developed for an ankle rehabilitation robot using pneumatic muscles as actuators. Throughout the development the robot will be tested, and the effectiveness of the control system quantified against control values. Once the system is sufficiently developed, tests with human participants will be proposed to validate its effectiveness.The aim of the project is to research, develop and test an intelligent control system to be used in an ankle rehabilitation robot.The objectives of the project are:- Research current literature around rehabilitation robots and their control systems- Understand and use the ankle rehabilitation robot in the robotics lab in the university, including software- Develop a novel intelligent control system for the ankle robot- Test the intelligent system against control values gained from tests using more commonplace control systems- Test the intelligent control system alongside human participantsThe potential applications of this project include improving the effectiveness of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation and potentially allow healthcare services like the NHS access to functional rehabilitation robots. This would assist therapists in caring for stroke victims and other patients with neurological diseases that impair joint movement, allowing for more effective treatment and easing the physical workload on the therapist.A more short-term benefit of the project is that current robots used for rehabilitation are not very user-friendly and cannot be easily adapted to a patient's particular needs. An intelligent control system would allow for a more intuitive interface, less need for physical interference from a therapist during the therapy process, and custom training values and exercises for a patient.The use of the ankle robot in this project is necessary for testing and training but the application of the control system extends to most rehabilitation robotics, given minor changes to the parameters, as the learning aspect should allow the control system to function for any actuator setup and range of motion required.