Implementation of a Real-Time Telerobotic System for Generating an Assistive Force Feedback for Rehabilitation Applications

In this paper we describe the implementation of a system that gives assistive force feedback to the remote user in a teleoperation based environment. The force feedback would help the user in trajectory following exercises for stroke rehabilitation. Exercises in virtual environments on a PC as well as real world exercises with a remote robotic arm, that would follow a trajectory in real-time as the user moves the master device, could be performed. Such real world exercises augmented with real-time force feedback can make the exercises more effective as the user gets force assistance along the desired path. Moreover, the system can find its application in remote therapy, where the therapist is away from the user, as it can be teleoperated and has internet based protocols. The assistive force feedback has been implemented using simple sensors such as the camera and the laser and a PC-based real-time multithreaded control system. The real-time force feedback from the remote robot to the master device has been possible using effective multithreading programming strategies in the control system design and novel sensor integration. The system also has the capabilities of autonomous as well as supervisory control of the remote robot and is modular as far as integration of different master devices for stroke rehabilitation exercises is concerned.