@article {537,
	title = {Assessment of Upper-Body Movement Quality in the Cartesian-Space is Feasible in the Harmony Exoskeleton},
	journal = {IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems},
	volume = {53},
	year = {2023},
	month = {Dec},
	pages = {985-995},
	abstract = {<p>To determine the most effective interventions for poststroke patients, it is imperative to monitor the recovery process. Robotic exoskeletons{\textquoteright} built-in sensing capabilities enable accurate kinematic measurement with no additional setup time. Although position sensors used in exoskeletons are accurate, a mismatch between the robot{\textquoteright}s and the human{\textquoteright}s joints can lead to inaccurate measurements. In addition, the robot{\textquoteright}s residual dynamics can interfere with human{\textquoteright}s natural movements and the kinematic metrics assessed in the robot would not be representative of the human{\textquoteright}s movement in free-motion. So far, the accuracy of robotic exoskeletons in assessing upper-body kinematics has not been verified. The bilateral upper-body Harmony exoskeleton has features favorable to minimize joint misalignments and the robot{\textquoteright}s residual dynamics. In this study, we examined Harmony{\textquoteright}s ability to accurately assess Cartesian-space kinematic parameters associated with the wearer{\textquoteright}s movement quality. We analyzed data collected from eight healthy participants that executed point-to-point movements with and without the presence of the robot and at fast and slow speeds. Ground truth was acquired with an optical motion capture, and we extracted the kinematic parameters from the measured data. The results suggest that Harmony can accurately measure kinematic parameters associated with movement quality, and these parameters could appropriately reflect wearer{\textquoteright}s natural movements at a slow speed. Therefore, Harmony could aid the evaluation of the effectiveness of different interventions, which is more sensitive and efficient than currently adopted clinical outcomes. This allows for individualization of a treatment plan and a detailed follow-up.</p>
},
	keywords = {Assistive robots, Atmospheric measurements, Exoskeletons, Kinematic assessment, Kinematics, Motion capture, Optical variables measurement, Particle measurements, rehabilitation robotics, Robot sensing systems, robotic exoskeleton, Training},
	issn = {2168-2305},
	doi = {10.1109/THMS.2023.3305391},
	author = {De Oliveira, Ana C. and Deshpande, Ashish D.}
}
@conference {527,
	title = {Impact of Gravity Compensation on Upper Extremity Movements in Harmony Exoskeleton},
	booktitle = {2022 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)},
	year = {2022},
	month = {July},
	abstract = {<p>Robots have been used to offset the limb weight through gravity compensation in upper body rehabilitation to delineate the effects of loss of strength and loss of dexterity, which are two common forms of post-stroke impairments. In this paper, we explored the impact of this anti-gravity support on the quality of movement during reaching and coordinated arm movements in a pilot study with two participants with chronic stroke. The subjects donned the Harmony exoskeleton which supported proper shoulder coordination in addition to providing gravity compensation. Participants had previously taken part in seven one-hour sessions with the Harmony exoskeleton, performing six sets of passive-stretching and active exercises. Pre- and post-training sessions included assessments of two separate tasks, planar reaching and a set of six coordinated arm movements, in two conditions, outside of and supported by the exoskeleton. The movements were recorded using an optical motion capture system and analyzed using spectral arc length (SPARC) and straight line deviation to quantify movement smoothness and quality. We observed that gravity compensation resulted in an increased smoothness for the subject with high level of impairment whereas compensation resulted in a reduction in smoothness for the subject with low level of impairment in the reaching task. Both participants demonstrated better coordination of the shoulder-arm joint with gravity compensation. This result motivates further studies into the role of gravity compensation during coordinated movement training and rehabilitation interventions.</p>
},
	keywords = {Exoskeletons, Neural pathways, Optical feedback, Optical recording, Robot kinematics, Shoulder, Training},
	doi = {10.1109/ICORR55369.2022.9896415},
	author = {Hailey, Rhet O. and De Oliveira, Ana C. and Ghonasgi, Keya and Whitford, Bob and Lee, Robert K. and Rose, Chad G. and Deshpande, Ashish D.}
}
