• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.875-881
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• 2014

The redundancy resolution of the seven DOF (Degree of Freedom) upper limb exoskeleton is key to the synchronous motion between a robot and a human user. According to the seven DOF human arm model, positioning and orientating the wrist can be completed by multiple arm configurations that results in the non-unique solution to the inverse kinematics. This paper presents analysis on the kinematic and dynamic aspect of the human arm movement and its effect on the redundancy resolution of the seven DOF human arm model. The redundancy of the arm is expressed mathematically by defining the swivel angle. The final form of swivel angle can be represented as a linear combination of two different swivel angles achieved by optimizing two cost functions based on kinematic and dynamic criteria. The kinematic criterion is to maximize the projection of the longest principal axis of the manipulability ellipsoid of the human arm on the vector connecting the wrist and the virtual target on the head region. The dynamic criterion is to minimize the mechanical work done in the joint space for each of two consecutive points along the task space trajectory. The contribution of each criterion on the redundancy was verified by the post processing of experimental data collected with a motion capture system. Results indicate that the bimodal redundancy resolution approach improved the accuracy of the predicted swivel angle. Statistical testing of the dynamic constraint contribution shows that under moderate speeds and no load, the dynamic component of the human arm is not dominant, and it is enough to resolve the redundancy without dynamic constraint for the realtime application.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.7
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• pp.799-807
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• 2014

This paper describes the development of an indoor locomotion assistive robot, Ball-Chair, comprising a novel drive system. This robot facilitates locomotion assistive operation in narrow spaces, in which common wheelchairs cannot move easily. The Ball-Chair has two main features: its structural feature and driving mechanism. The exoskeleton frames of the Ball-Chair have been designed with octagonal shapes resembling a circle, for minimizing its volume and weight. Additionally, all its driving parts (including the ball) are mounted within of the robot to enhance its safety. The Ball-Chair features a reverse ball-mouse driving mechanism comprising two driving omni-wheels in the x- and y-axes. By controlling the speed of each omni-wheel, a holonomic driving system that can facilitate omnidirectional locomotion has been achieved using only two wheels. The effective movement of the Ball-Chair in any direction within narrow indoor spaces was experimentally verified. The paper outlines the development procedure in detail.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.223-229
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• 2019

The number of knee-related disease patients and knee joint surgeries is steadily increasing every year, and for knee rehabilitation training for these knee joint patients, it is necessary to strengthen the muscle of vastus medialis and quadriceps femoris. However, because of the cost and time-consuming difficulties of receiving regular hospital treatment in the course of knee rehabilitation, we developed knee exoskeleton using rapid prototype for knee rehabilitation with feedback from the electromyogram (EMG) and inertia motion unit (IMU) sensor. The modules was built on the basis of EMG and an IMU sensor applied complementary filter, measuring muscle activity in the vastus medialis and the range of joint operation of the knee, and then performing the game based on this measurement. The IMU sensor performed up to 97.2% accuracy in experiments with ten subjects. The functional game contents consisted of an exergaming platform based on EMG and IMU for the real-time monitoring and performance assessment of personalized isometric and isotonic exercises. This study combined EMG and IMU-based functional game with knee rehabilitation training to enable voluntary rehabilitation training by providing immediate feedback to patients through biometric information, thereby enhancing muscle strength efficiency of rehabilitation.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.941-946
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• 2021

This paper is a study on the design and implementation of a rehabilitation wearable robotic hand that reduces weight and volume by using a 3D printer and a motor. Rehabilitation wearable robots are important not only for the effect of rehabilitation but also for ease of use. However, most of the currently researched and developed rehabilitation exoskeleton robots are heavy in volume and weight, or they have to be used in place. Therefore, a wearable robot that is easy to wear and does not burden the user is required, so a lightweight electric rehabilitation wearable robot hand is proposed. A 3D printer was used to reduce the weight and volume and to make it easier to wear. In addition, to increase portability, the structure was simplified by adopting an electric method rather than a pneumatic method. Finally, the effectiveness was examined through the experiment of the lightweight electric rehabilitation wearable robot hand.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.1521-1527
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• 2013

This study proposes a wearable master device that can measure the joint stiffness and the angular displacement of a human operator to enhance the adapting capability of a slave system. A lightweight inertial sensor and the exoskeleton mechanism of the master device can make an operator feel comfortable, and artificial pneumatic muscles having a working principle similar to that of human muscles improve the performance of the slave device on emulating what a human operator does. Experimental results revealed that the proposed master/slave system based on the muscle stiffness sensor yielded uniform tracking performance compared with a conventional position-feedback controller when the payload applied to the slave system changed.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.234-244
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• 2021

Purpose: To date, studies of firearm and explosive injuries in the Korean military have been limited compared to its importance. To overcome this, this study examined the characteristics of musculoskeletal damages in soldiers who have suffered firearm and explosive injuries over the past four years. Materials and Methods: From January 2015 to July 2019, military forces who had suffered musculoskeletal injuries from firearms or explosive substances were included. The medical records and radiographs were reviewed retrospectively, and telephone surveys about Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA) for this group were conducted. To compare the functional outcomes, statistical analysis was performed using a t-test for the types of weapons, and ANOVA for others. Results: Of the 61 patients treated for firearms and explosives injuries, 30 patients (49.2%) were included after undergoing orthopedic treatment due to musculoskeletal injury. The average age at injury was 26.4 years old (21-52 years old). The number of officers and soldiers was similar. Eleven were injured by gunshot and 19 by an explosive device. Sixteen were treated in the Armed Forces Capital Hospital and 10 at private hospitals. More than half of the 16 patients (53.3%) with a fracture had multiple fractures. The most common injury site was the hand (33.3%), followed by the lower leg (30.0%). There were 14 patients (46.7%) with Gustilo-Anderson classification 3B or higher who required a soft tissue reconstruction. Fifteen patients agreed to join the SMFA survey for the functional outcomes. Between officers and soldiers, officers had better scores in the Bother Index compared to soldiers (p=0.0045). Patients treated in the Armed Forces Capital Hospital had better scores in both the Dysfunction and Bother Index compared to private hospitals (p=0.0008, p=0.0149). Conclusion: This is the first study to analyze of weapons injuries in the Korean military. As a result of the study, the orthopedic burden was high in the treating patients with military weapon injuries. In addition, it is necessary to build a military trauma registry, including firearm and explosive injuries, for trauma treatment evaluation and development of military trauma system.