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Design and development of a five-bar robot for research into lower extremity proprioception

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2017

Lei Cui ,
Andy Isaac  and
Garry Allison Open the ORCID record for Garry Allison [Opens in a new window]
Lei Cui*
Affiliation:
School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Andy Isaac
Affiliation:
School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
Garry Allison
Affiliation:
School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: lei.cui@curtin.edu.au
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Summary

Ankle inversion is a common injury of musculoskeletal system among athletes and also in the older population. Investigation into ankle inversion requires quantitative assessment of the smallest amount of height/angle change in the floor that can be perceived by human. Blocks of different thickness have been used to change floor height manually during tests. We aimed to develop an automatic apparatus that is able to provide improved height and angle resolutions for dynamic ankle proprioception. We designed and manufactured a five-bar planar robot with one coupler serving as the mobile platform. We used a stiffening rib to achieve consistent differences in deflection across the workspace of the mobile platform. The reported robot translates at the maximal speed 423 mm/s with a resolution at 0.21 mm under a maximal load of 358 kg. This robot allows for increased sensitivity, which may lead to further investigation of functional proprioceptive ability and reflect finely tuned sensory requirements for upright stance.

Keywords

proprioceptionankle inversionlower extremityparallel robotscompliance analysisoptimization
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , February 2018 , pp. 298 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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