Development of the Quasi-3-DOF Rehabilitation System for Upper Limbs, “PLEMO”

Abstract

Rehabilitation for upper limbs is very important for aged people or patients of stroke. In the past, we developed several systems for rehabilitation using ER actuators and brakes. They had many advantages but were not suitable for practical use. Then, we decide to develop compact quasi 3-DOF rehabilitation systems named PLEMO for upper limbs only using ER brake. Because of only using brake, the system ensures safety at hardware-level and it is possible to make this system compact and low-cost. This paper presents concepts of the PLEMO and its analyses.