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. 2018;26(S1):259-268.
doi: 10.3233/THC-174604.

Structural analysis of a rehabilitative training system based on a ceiling rail for safety of hemiplegia patients

Kyong Kim  1 , Won Kyung Song  2 , Woo Suk Chong  3 , Chang Ho Yu  4
Affiliations

Structural analysis of a rehabilitative training system based on a ceiling rail for safety of hemiplegia patients

Kyong Kim et al. Technol Health Care. 2018.

Abstract

The body-weight support (BWS) function, which helps to decrease load stresses on a user, is an effective tool for gait and balance rehabilitation training for elderly people with weakened lower-extremity muscular strength, hemiplegic patients, etc. This study conducts structural analysis to secure user safety in order to develop a rail-type gait and balance rehabilitation training system (RRTS). The RRTS comprises a rail, trolley, and brain-machine interface. The rail (platform) is connected to the ceiling structure, bearing the loads of the RRTS and of the user and allowing locomobility. The trolley consists of a smart drive unit (SDU) that assists the user with forward and backward mobility and a body-weight support (BWS) unit that helps the user to control his/her body-weight load, depending on the severity of his/her hemiplegia. The brain-machine interface estimates and measures on a real-time basis the body-weight (load) of the user and the intended direction of his/her movement. Considering the weight of the system and the user, the mechanical safety performance of the system frame under an applied 250-kg static load is verified through structural analysis using ABAQUS (6.14-3) software. The maximum stresses applied on the rail and trolley under the given gravity load of 250 kg, respectively, are 18.52 MPa and 48.44 MPa. The respective safety factors are computed to be 7.83 and 5.26, confirming the RRTS's mechanical safety. An RRTS with verified structural safety could be utilized for gait movement and balance rehabilitation and training for patients with hemiplegia.

Keywords: The body-weight support; gait movement; rehabilitation; training system.

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Conflict of interest statement

None to report.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Design of the gait rehabilitation system.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Simplified model apparatus of the rail and the driving part.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Load conditions for the driving part.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Boundary conditions of the driving part.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Deflection results for the rehabilitation training system.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Results of stress contours in the rail part.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Results of stress contours in the smart driving part.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Result of deflection contours in the plate of the BWS.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Apparatus of the first prototype of the gait rehabilitation system.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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