Upper and Lower limb interchangeable Exoskeleton-robot for post stroke rehabilitation

Hemiplegia is a medical condition in which half-side of the body gets paralyzed. It is often observed in patients who have undergone a stroke. As many as eighty eight percentage of stroke patients suffer from hemiplegia. Rehabilitation, using physiotherapy, is the most effective treatment for hemiplegia. This research aims to develop an exoskeleton that can be used to generate motion in the limbs to assist physiotherapy, thereby facilitating rehabilitation. The exoskeleton is designed such that it can be used for both upper limbs and lower limbs, interchangeably. In this paper, we discuss some existing designs for the purpose and the proposed exoskeleton is discussed through mechanical design, dynamics study and a brief into the possible control methods.