Design and analysis of ankle joint rehabilitation robot based on serial structure

Abstract To address the rehabilitation challenges associated with ankle injuries and overcome the limitations of existing ankle rehabilitation robots, a three-degree-of-freedom serial-structure ankle rehabilitation robot (ARR) has been developed. Initially, a three-dimensional model was created using SolidWorks software, and the fundamental structural design principles were thoroughly analyzed. Subsequently, the kinematic performance of the designed model was evaluated via simulation in Adams software. The simulation results revealed that the motion trajectory of the proposed mechanism met the expected requirements, demonstrating superior kinematic performance while ensuring that no secondary injuries occurred in patients. Finally, the kinematic performance of the ARR was validated through the use of an optical human motion capture system. The experimental results confirmed that the prototype operated smoothly, the drive control system remained stable, and the range of motion sufficiently fulfilled the requirements for ankle rehabilitation. These results further validated the feasibility of the proposed model and provided a valuable theoretical and practical reference for the structural design and kinematic modeling of ankle rehabilitation robots.