Development of a Versatile Robotic System with Multiple Training Modes for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Study

This paper presents the development of a versatile robotic system with multiple training modes to serve as a test-bed that will facilitate the study of upper-limb rehabilitation following stroke. Seven different training modes, i.e., passive, low-impedance, assist-as-needed, resist-as-needed, visual error augmentation, viscous force field and force perturbation, have been integrated in this robotic system. A hierarchic control system is developed to coordinate these training modes. Initial experiments on unimpaired participants have verified that the robotic system is able to provide the above training modes properly.