Design and Simulation of a Robotic System for Sports Injury Treated with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy

When applying robotic technology to extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for sports injuries, challenges related to dexterity and dynamic response stability need to be addressed. To this end, this paper proposes an arm-hand coordinated robot-assisted ESWT scheme and completes its simulation. Firstly, by analyzing the operational requirements for the ESWT target area, a robot-assisted ESWT scheme and a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) end-effector mechanism are designed. The inverted conical workspace of the end-effector enables precise treatment of localized target areas and controls the ESWT instrument to perform feed motion at specific orientations, overcoming the movement limitations of using a robotic arm alone in confined spaces, achieving the workspace of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$1/3^{\ast} \pi^{\ast}(75)^{{2}^{\ast}} 200 \text{mm}^{3}$</tex>, which meets the small space occupation for ESWT. The forward and inverse kinematics of the robot system are then calculated, and joint motion simulations are performed. Finally, a dynamic model of the end-effector is established, and the characteristics of its driving force profile, in which the maximum forces for translational feed joint and swinging joint do not exceed 2.5 N and 15 N, are analyzed. This research provides a high-dexterous and stable robot-assisted ESWT solution for ESWT robots, laying the foundation for intelligent and precise treatment.