Robotics-assisted Treadmill Technology: Feedback control methods for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation after neurological injury.
Event details
| Date | 16.04.2010 |
| Hour | 10:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. K.J. Hunt, Institute for Mechatronic Systems, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. |
| Location |
MEC2405
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Rehabilitation robotics have been introduced in clinical practice to support therapeutic
interventions in a wide range of neurological conditions. Several devices have been developed to
provide robotics-assisted gait training for people who have suffered a spinal cord injury or a
stroke. We have recently expanded the scope of application to encompass cardiopulmonary
training and assessment. We developed a method of estimating the patient’s volitional effort
during exercise, and a feedback control strategy, which allows pre-defined work rate profiles to
be imposed during exercise. This structure has recently been augmented by a feedback control
system, which automatically determines the work rate required to achieve a pre-defined target
oxygen uptake (VO2) profile. These methods are successful in counteracting the strongly
nonlinear response of VO2 during exercise. They can be applied during exercise training
programs to optimize cardiopulmonary health, and during formal exercise tests to increase
understanding and to improve estimates of important cardiorespiratory performance
parameters. This talk will give an overview of this line of work, with a focus on feedback control
aspects and the potential for clinical application.
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Practical information
- General public
- Free