Lateral walking gait phase recognition for hip exoskeleton by denoising autoencoder-LSTM.

Lateral resistance walk is an effective way to strengthen the abductor muscles of the hip. Accurate lateral walking gait recognition is the prerequisite for exoskeletons to be applied to lateral walking exercises. This paper proposes a denoising autoencoder-LSTM (DAE-LSTM) algorithm for lateral walking gait recognition.

Long-term care plan recommendation for older adults with disabilities: a bipartite graph transformer and self-supervised approach.

Background: With the global population aging and advancements in the medical system, long-term care in healthcare institutions and home settings has become essential for older adults with disabilities. However, the diverse and scattered care requirements of these individuals make developing effective long-term care plans heavily reliant on professional nursing staff, and even experienced caregivers may make mistakes or face confusion during the care plan development process. Consequently, there is a rigid demand for intelligent systems that can recommend comprehensive long-term care plans for older adults with disabilities who have stable clinical conditions.

Design of semi-open prosthetic socket with constant force for lower limb.

Background: Prosthetic socket is a key component of the prosthesis for clinical application; its performance directly affects the adaptation of the residual limb to the prosthetic socket. There are long-term and short-term volume fluctuation of the residual limb. The volume fluctuation of the residual limb will lead to the pressure mismatch at the interface of the residual limb and the prosthetic socket, which will cause a series of skin and fit problems.

Research on a novel flexible bionic artificial anal sphincter.

Background: Artificial anal sphincter is a novel method for the treatment of fecal incontinence. Aiming at the problems of complex mechanical structure, high mechanical failure rate, large volume and poor biocompatibility of existing artificial anal sphincters, this article proposes a novel flexible artificial anal sphincter with bionic structure.

Methods: A novel flexible artificial anal sphincter was proposed with bionic structure by analogy with the puborectalis, flexible transmission by flexible tendons, good biocompatibility by using thermoplastic urethane and medical silicone, small size and lightweight.

Resting-state fNIRS reveals changes in prefrontal cortex functional connectivity during TENS in patients with chronic pain.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used to treat chronic pain. However, the potential efficacy and mechanism of the effect of applying TENS for a short time in chronic pain patients remains unclear. To identify the effect of short-term TENS on chronic pain patients and to clarify the mechanism of the effect, we investigated abnormalities of functional connectivity (FC) within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) using resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy (rs-fNIRS).

A type-2 fuzzy inference-based approach enables walking speed estimation that adapts to inter-individual gait patterns.

Objectives: Individuals change walking speed by regulating step frequency (SF), stride length (SL), or a combination of both (FL combinations). However, existing methods of walking speed estimation ignore this regulatory mechanism. This paper aims to achieve accurate walking speed estimation while enabling adaptation to inter-individual speed regulation strategies.

Research on design and control methods of a lightweight upper limb joint isokinetic rehabilitation training equipment.

Introduction: Isokinetic exercise can improve joint muscle strength and stability, making it suitable for early rehabilitation of stroke patients. However, traditional isokinetic equipment is bulky and costly, and cannot effectively avoid external environmental interference.

Methods: This paper designed a lightweight upper limb joint isokinetic rehabilitation training equipment, with a control system that includes a speed planning strategy and speed control with disturbance rejection.

Experimental evaluation of an artificial anal sphincter based on biomechanical compatibility.

Background: The artificial anal sphincter is a device used to treat patients with fecal incontinence who are unable to control their bowel movements on their own. Long-term morphological changes in the tissue surrounding the artificial anal sphincter can cause biomechanical compatibility problems, which seriously affect the clinical application of the artificial anal sphincter.

Methods: In this paper, the superelasticity of shape memory alloys was utilized to design and fabricate a biomechanically compatible constant force clamping artificial anal sphincter.

A comprehensive study on Mecanum wheel-based mobility and suspension solutions for intelligent nursing wheelchairs.

Intelligent nursing wheelchairs significantly enhance mobility and independence for elderly individuals with disabilities. However, traditional designs often suffer from large turning radii that restrict their functionality in confined spaces. Addressing this critical challenge, this study introduces an innovative design utilizing a Mecanum wheel chassis that allows for omnidirectional movement, significantly improving maneuverability and stability.

[Research status of lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot].

Lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robots are used to improve or restore the walking and movement ability of people with lower limb movement disorders. However, the required functions for patients differ based on various diseases. For example, patients with weak muscle strength require power assistance, patients with spinal cord injuries require motion compensation, patients with gait abnormalities require gait correction, and patients with strokes require neural rehabilitation.

Smart Nursing Wheelchairs: A New Trend in Assisted Care and the Future of Multifunctional Integration.

As a significant technological innovation in the fields of medicine and geriatric care, smart care wheelchairs offer a novel approach to providing high-quality care services and improving the quality of care. The aim of this review article is to examine the development, applications and prospects of smart nursing wheelchairs, with particular emphasis on their assistive nursing functions, multiple-sensor fusion technology, and human-machine interaction interfaces. First, we describe the assistive functions of nursing wheelchairs, including position changing, transferring, bathing, and toileting, which significantly reduce the workload of nursing staff and improve the quality of care.

State of the Art of Brain Function Detection Technologies in Robot-Assisted Lower Limb Rehabilitation.

With an aging population, the prevalence of neurological disorders is increasing, leading to a rise in lower limb movement disorders and, in turn, a growing need for rehabilitation training. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown a growing scientific interest in the study of brain mechanisms in robot-assisted lower limb rehabilitation (RALLR). This review aimed to determine differences in neural activity patterns during different RALLR tasks and the impact on neurofunctional plasticity.

Perception of defecation intent: applied methods and technology trends.

The aging population has led to a widening gap between the supply and demand for defecation care. To address this issue, the development of defecation care devices is the most direct and effective solution. Pre-defecation care devices offer a more personalized and comfortable alternative to the conventional post-defecation care devices currently available on the market.

Control strategies for trunk exoskeletons based on motion intent recognition: A review.

Background: Wearable trunk exoskeletons hold immense potential in fields such as healthcare and industry. Previous research has indicated that intention recognition control plays a crucial role in users' daily use of exoskeletons.

Objective: This review aims to discuss the characteristics of intention recognition control schemes for intelligent trunk exoskeletons under different control objectives over the past decade.

Research on multi-dimensional intelligent quantitative assessment of upper limb function based on kinematic parameters.

Background: Rehabilitation assessment is a critical component of rehabilitation treatment.

Objective: This study focuses on a comprehensive analysis of patients' movement performance using the upper limb rehabilitation robot. It quantitatively assessed patients' motor control ability and constructed an intelligent grading model of functional impairments.

A decision support system for upper limb rehabilitation robot based on hybrid reasoning with RBR and CBR.

The rehabilitation robot can assist hemiplegic patients to complete the training program effectively, but it only focuses on helping the patient's training process and requires the rehabilitation therapists to manually adjust the training parameters according to the patient's condition. Therefore, there is an urgent need for intelligent training prescription research of rehabilitation robots to promote the clinical applications. This study proposed a decision support system for the training of upper limb rehabilitation robot based on hybrid reasoning with rule-based reasoning (RBR) and case-based reasoning (CBR).

Current status and clinical perspectives of extended reality for myoelectric prostheses: review.

Training with "Extended Reality" or X-Reality (XR) systems can undoubtedly enhance the control of the myoelectric prostheses. However, there is no consensus on which factors improve the efficiency of skill transfer from virtual training to actual prosthesis abilities. This review examines the current status and clinical applications of XR in the field of myoelectric prosthesis training and analyses possible influences on skill migration.

Robot-Assisted Training to Improve Proprioception of Wrist.

In recent years, robot-assisted training has been shown to significantly improve motor function and proprioception in people with functional disabilities, but the efficiency of proprioceptive acuity was unclear. To characterize the efficiency of joint proprioceptive acuity improvement in space, we designed a robot-assisted ipsilateral joint position matching experiment using the wrist as the study object. We conducted 2-way repeated measures ANOVA on error data before and after training in 12 healthy subjects and mapped the distribution of wrist proprioceptive learning ability in different workspaces.

Across Sessions and Subjects Domain Adaptation for Building Robust Myoelectric Interface.

Gesture interaction via surface electromyography (sEMG) signal is a promising approach for advanced human-computer interaction systems. However, improving the performance of the myoelectric interface is challenging due to the domain shift caused by the signal's inherent variability. To enhance the interface's robustness, we propose a novel adaptive information fusion neural network (AIFNN) framework, which could effectively reduce the effects of multiple scenarios.

A Real-Time Control Method for Upper Limb Exoskeleton Based on Active Torque Prediction Model.

Exoskeleton rehabilitation robots have been widely used in the rehabilitation treatment of stroke patients. Clinical studies confirmed that rehabilitation training with active movement intentions could improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment significantly. This research proposes a real-time control method for an upper limb exoskeleton based on the active torque prediction model.

A multi-degree-of-freedom reconfigurable ankle rehabilitation robot with adjustable workspace for post-stroke lower limb ankle rehabilitation.

A multi-degree-of-freedom ankle rehabilitation robot with an adjustable workspace has been designed to facilitate ankle joint rehabilitation training. It features a rotation center adapted to the human body, making it suitable for patients with ankle dysfunction following a stroke. In this study, a multi-degree-of-freedom reconfigurable ankle rehabilitation robot (RARR) with adaptable features, based on the principles of ergonomics, has been proposed to cater to the varying needs of patients.

A Wearable Computer Vision System With Gimbal Enables Position-, Speed-, and Phase-Independent Terrain Classification for Lower Limb Prostheses.

Computer vision can provide upcoming walking environment information for lower limb-assisted robots, thereby enabling more accurate and robust decisions for high-level control. However, current computer vision systems in lower extremity devices are still constrained by the disruptions that occur in the interaction between human, machine, and the environment, which hinder optimal performance. In this paper, we propose a gimbal-based terrain classification system that can be adapted to different lower limb movements, different walking speeds, and gait phases.

Construction of Core-Shell MOF CSMnP with Enzyme-Like Activity for Chemotherapy and Chemodynamic Therapy.

Materials with enzyme-like activity have received a lot of attention in the field of tumor catalytic therapy. Here, biocompatible core-shell MOF CSMnP with two valence states of Mn ion, which could process chemodynamic therapy (CDT), was designed and synthesized. Besides, it could also promote a series of catalytic processes in the tumor microenvironment (TME).