A Lymphatic Drainage Robot for Lymphedema Rehabilitation

Abstract

Lymphedema is a medical condition that results in swelling and discomfort in human arms or legs. Caused due to the build-up of lymph fluid in the tissues under the skin, lymphedema commonly affects one of the arms or legs and it is an incurable condition that requires treatment for control. A common treatment is manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), a massage therapy to remove the excess lymphatic fluid out of the tissues back into the lymphatic vessels. This paper proposes a portable and mobile device, lymphatic drainage robot (LDR), as an alternative to MLD. The prototype LDR, a combination of soft and hard robotic hardware, stimulates the lymphatic system. The robot climbs up the human limb, i.e., an arm or a leg, while applying radial pressure on the skin to remove the excess lymph fluid into the lymph vessels towards the upper side of the limb. The preliminary design of the device stipulated in this paper can be transformed into a product that can be commercially-produced and provided directly to the rehabilitation clinics and lymphedema patients. Clinical relevance - This paper presents a working prototype of an autonomous robotic product that simulates MLD towards the rehabilitation of lymphedema condition.