Design considerations for human-machine interfaces in cable-based parallel manipulators for physiotherapy applications
Abstract.
In this paper, we have addressed the attention to outline problems and preliminarysolutions for feasible human-machine interfaces in using cable-based parallel manipulators forphysiotherapy applications. In particular, general considerations are discussed fromengineering viewpoints but by taking into account constraints from acceptance and reluctanceby patients and physiotherapist users. Main attention has been focused on the design andoperation characteristics for a mobile platform that is operated as an end-effector connected tohuman limbs for interacting directly with patient users. Some specific examples are illustratedas referring to the authors’ experience with prototypes that are available at LARM laboratory.
Keywords. Service Robotics, Cable-Based Parallel Manipulators, Medical Applications,Human-Machine Interfaces, Kinematic Design.
1. Introduction
Since a decade medical applications for parallelmanipulators have been identified as challenges andfeasible goals for special service robots. But althoughengineering solutions and approaches have beendeveloped towards interesting applications andprototypes, still those applications are far to be reallyavailable and applicable for users as patients anddoctors at a proper level of cost and operability.Cable-based parallel robots are challengingstructures that have recently attracted interest forthese applications, since they can overpass somedrawbacks in operation and design aspects that havelimited the use of serial chain manipulators andtraditional parallel architectures. A cable-basedparallel manipulator has the structure of a traditionalparallel manipulator but the actuating links are madeof cables whose motors exert pulling forces only,Fig.1.There are great efforts ongoing mainly to systemdesign and operation planning whose solutions areconceived and studied from technical viewpointsonly, even if with collaboration with the medicalworld, as reported for example in the proceedings ofICRR conferences in 2003,2005, 2007, (see forexample ICRR 2005). In particular, recently greatattention has been directed to rehabilitation systemsand more in general to physiotherapy applicationswith the aim to develop systems that can solvespecific medical problems to prevent long hospitalstay of patients and to achieve a proper patientautonomy even for their diary exercising or therapy


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