An innovative bio-robot imitating the cervical spine behaviors during the Rotation-Traction manipulation

This article demonstrates an innovative humanoid robot applied in the Rotation-Traction (RT) manipulation practice and evaluation process. A mass-spring mechanical system with an electromagnetic clutch was designed to emulate the cervical spine and a 3DOF non-planar model with impedance control algorithm is built to replace the neck part. The robot could imitate the entire dynamic response of human cervical spine in the RT manipulation process. Test results reveal that the cervical spinal robot can faithfully replicate the biomechanical properties of the human cervical spine during RT manipulation and it is helpful in training and evaluating interns.