A Soft Inflatable Elbow-Assistive Robot for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy can severely impair children's motor function and leading to permanent disability. Compared to adults, children are more vulnerable and susceptible to external harm. Wearable robotics gained much attention in rehabilitation, and has shown its potential in supporting the recovery of people with motor dysfunctions. Conventional adult-oriented wearable assistive robots are tendon-driven whereas the force and inertia generated is too large for children, which could injure children. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel soft inflatable robot that can aid children in elbow movement whilst minimising the risk of harm. Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and pneumatic actuation were used in developing the soft robot. From the experiment, the maximum bending angle is 142.2°, with the maximum moment generated being 0.784 Nm, which is suitable for the needed elbow support for young children with cerebral palsy.