Adaptive Multi-Degree Cervical Rehabilitation Device

This paper presents a pioneering device tailored to address the rehabilitation challenges encountered by patients with neck mobility issues or injuries, offering a novel approach to controlled neck movement exercises. The proposed 3-DoF rehabilitation design is housed on a metal frame by integrating four linear actuators, servo-motor, and a 3D printed neck attachment, enabling precise and comfortable manipulation of neck movement. To ensure accurate feedback during exercise sessions, the device incorporates the motion-processing-unit (MPU) sensor unit along with four distance sensors, providing real-time data on neck position and angle. Operating with micro-controller, the device autonomously adapts exercise parameters in response to each patient's progress. Typically, for a given set of sessions, the maximum neck rotation angle is manually controlled by an operator. Patients provide feedback post each session on a scale from 0 to 5, indicating their comfort and tolerance levels. Based on this feedback, the device predicts the optimal neck rotation angle for subsequent automated sessions using an exponentially weighted average of the previous angles, adjusted by Gaussian noise determined by the feedback score. This iterative refinement effectively optimizes the rehabilitation process, progressively challenging patients while minimizing the risk of injury or discomfort.