Design and Control of a Cable-Driven Upper Limb Exoskeleton Robot for Rehabilitation

Stroke is a significant disease that poses a serious threat to health. Rehabilitation robots can assist stroke patients in completing rehabilitative movements, promoting their recovery while alleviating the workload of healthcare professionals. We design a cable-driven upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton that separates the driving mechanism from the execution mechanism. This innovation significantly reduces the exoskeleton's weight and improves the wearing experience. We then compute the kinematics of the cable-driven system and develop a posture-based position control strategy. We construct prototypes of the exoskeleton's mechanical structure and control system, followed by conducting wearing and movement experiments. The results of the experiments indicate that the exoskeleton provides a favorable wearing experience and achieves a posture control accuracy of within 4 degrees.