A Cable-Driven Exoskeleton to Control Ankle Mobility During Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is the most common neurological disorder in children. In the search for effective treatments, robot-assisted therapy techniques have emerged in recent years, combining physiotherapy with the use of exoskeletons for re-habilitation. In this context, the Discover2Walk project was developed, a cable-driven modular exoskeleton designed for early gait rehabilitation. In this paper, a novel method for foot and ankle joint control, easily implementable in the Discover2Walk, is presented. This method is capable of directing movement in three degrees of freedom: two translational (cartesian x and z axes) and one rotational (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion). The results obtained demonstrate the viability of the proposed system in controlling motion in the three degrees of freedom of interest.