Control of a powered exoskeleton for elbow, forearm and wrist joint movements

To provide passive rehabilitation therapy to individuals with deficits in upper-limb function, we have developed a powered exoskeleton robot, named the MARSE-4. The developed exoskeleton is supposed to be worn on the lateral side of the upper limb and will provide passive arm movement assistance at the level of elbow, forearm and wrist joints. The kinematic model of the exoskeleton was developed based on modified Denavit-Hartenberg notations. In experiments, PID controllers were employed where trajectory tracking that corresponds to typical rehabilitation (passive) exercises were carried out to evaluate the performances of the developed exoskeleton and the controller. Experimental results show that the MARSE-4 can efficiently deliver passive therapy for elbow, forearm and wrist joint movements.