Power-free knee rehabilitation robot for home-based isokinetic training
Abstract Robot-assisted isokinetic training has been widely adopted for knee rehabilitation. However, existing rehabilitation facilities are often heavy, bulky, and extremely energy-consuming, which limits the rehabilitation opportunities only at designated hospitals. In this study, we introduce a h...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57578-z |
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| Summary: | Abstract Robot-assisted isokinetic training has been widely adopted for knee rehabilitation. However, existing rehabilitation facilities are often heavy, bulky, and extremely energy-consuming, which limits the rehabilitation opportunities only at designated hospitals. In this study, we introduce a highly integrated and lightweight (52 kg) knee rehabilitation robot that can provide home-based isokinetic training without external power. By integrating a motor, torque/angle sensors, control circuit, and energy regeneration circuit into a single driver module, our robot can provide power-free isokinetic training by recycling mechanical work from the trainee. Ten postsurgical subjects were involved in an interventional randomized trial (ChiCTR2300076715, Part I) and the cross-sectional area of trained legs (experimental group) was significantly higher than that of untrained legs (control group). The primary outcomes, muscle growth (quadriceps: 5.93%, hamstrings: 10.27%) and strength improvements (quadriceps: 70%, hamstrings: 84%), achieved with our robots surpass those of existing commercial rehabilitation devices. These findings indicate that our robot presents a viable option for home-based knee rehabilitation, significantly enhancing the accessibility of effective treatment. |
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| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |