Communications of the ACM
Rehab Robot Harmony Introduced By t Austin Engineers
The new HARMONY robotic rehabilitation exoskeleton provides therapists and doctors the ability to deliver precise therapy while tracking and analyzing data.
Credit: University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) researchers have developed HARMONY, a first-of-its-kind, two-armed, robotic rehabilitation exoskeleton the researchers say could provide a new method of high-quality, data-driven therapy to patients suffering from spinal and neurological injuries.
The researchers say HARMONY's software gives therapists and doctors the ability to deliver precise therapy while tracking and analyzing data. "Not only does the exoskeleton adjust to patient size, it can also be programmed to be gentle or firm based on the individual's therapy needs," says UT Austin researcher Ashish Deshpande.
The exoskeleton connects to patients at three places on each side of the upper body and features 14 axes for a wide range of natural motion. The robot is equipped with a series of sensors that collect data at 2,000 times per second. The data are then fed back into the robot's program for personalized robotic interaction.
HARMONY could reduce a patient's recovery time because it can adapt to the specific, corrective ways that humans learn, according to the researchers.
Now that the exoskeleton is complete, the researchers will continue to develop the software and prepare for an upcoming trial period this summer.
From UT News
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