Principle and design of a mobile arm support for people with muscular weakness

This article describes the development of a mobile arm support for people with muscular diseases. The arm support is spring-balanced, with special attention on reduction of operating effort (high balancing quality and low friction), functionality (large range of motion), and aesthetics (inconspicuous design). The spring settings can be adjusted...

Design of an ultra-compact elbow-joint for an eating assistive device: Meeting the growing demands of people with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophin

Ultra-compact is a valuable property in designs of assistive devices for people with Duchenne Muscle Dystrophy. Reducing the size of these medical devices will increase the cosmetic appearance. Current devices are large and stigmatizing in the eyes of the users. In other words, the users want a device to be small enough to be worn underneath the...

Feasibility Study of a Balanced Upper Arm Orthosis based on Bending Beams

People with neuromuscular diseases request an orthosis close to the body for assistance with their arm movements. This paper proposes a concept for a passive arm support that is close to the body and is based on bending beams. Simulations resulted in the final configuration and dimensions of the beams, optimised to balance an arm. One Carbon...

A statically balanced mobile arm support based on a novel spring system

This research is focused on designing a close-to-body statically balanced mobile arm support for people suffering from degenerative muscular conditions. The arm support is based on a spring system consisting of two bi-articular zero-free-length springs to balance the arm.

Slender Spring Systems, for a close-to-body dynamic arm support for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The goal of this dissertation is to develop a wearable, passive, dynamic arm support that provides users with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) with support to perform activities of daily living. The arm support needs to be inconspicuous and not stigmatizing, to encourage the users to participate in social activities. Ideally, the device fits...

Gravity Balancing Flexure Springs for an Assistive Elbow Orthosis

In this paper, we propose a flexure spring based gravity compensation device which provides assistance to lift the forearm. Three different spring designs are obtained and evaluated. The synthesis method to obtain these is explained in detail and an experimental evaluation validates the desired gravity balancing properties. It is found that in...

Design and evaluation of a passive dynamic arm support for Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery

Background : Surgeons performing robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery experience physical stress and overuse of shoulder muscles due to sub-optimal arm support during surgery. Following background literature research on passive<br/>dynamic arm supports, this report presents and evaluates a novel design.<br/>Objective: To present a novel design...

Weight classification during actively assisted elbow flexion and extension

Severe muscle weakness is a symptom appearing in certain neuromuscular diseases (NMDs), such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), affecting people's daily lives by reducing functionality, decreasing independence, and reducing the ability to perform essential daily activities. This patient group might benefit from using active-assistive devices...

Design and evaluation of a smart passive dynamic arm support for robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery

Surgeons performing robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery experience physical stress and overuse of shoulder muscles due to sub-optimal arm support during surgery. The objective is to present a novel design and prototype of a dynamic arm support for robotic laparoscopic surgery to evaluate its ergonomics and performance on the AdLap-VR...