The development of dynamic rehabilitation devices can be evaluated as a research fastgrowing field. Indeed, robot-assisted therapy is an advanced new technology mainly in stroke rehabilitation. Although patients benefit from this enormous development of technology, including the presence of rehabilitation robots, the therapeutic field still suffering a lack in hand robotic rehabilitation devices. In this context, this work proposes a new design of a 3D printed hand exoskeleton for the stroke rehabilitation. Based on the EMG signals measured from the muscles responsible for the hand motion, the designed mechatronic system detects the intention of hand opening or hand closing from the stroked subject. Based on an embedded controller and five servomotors, the low cost robotic system is able to drive in real time three degrees of freedom (DOFs) for each finger. The real tests with stroked subjects showed that the designed hand exoskeleton architecture has a positive effect on the motion finger range and mainly in the hand ability to perform some simple tasks. The case studies showed a good recovery of the motor functions and consequently the developed system efficiency.

This paper presents an optimal method for optimizing network reconfiguration problems in a power distribution system in order to enhance reliability and reduce power losses. Network reconfiguration can be viewed as an optimization problem involving a set of criteria that must be reduced when adhering to various constraints. The energy not supplied (ENS) during permanent network faults and active power losses are the objective functions that are optimized in this study during the reconfiguration phase. These objectives are expressed mathematically and will be integrated into various optimization algorithms used throughout the study. To begin, a mathematical formulation of the objectives to be optimized, as well as all the constraints that must be met, is proposed. Then, to solve this difficult combinatorial problem, we use the exhaustive approach, genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) on an IEEE 33-bus electrical distribution network. Finally, a performance evaluation of the proposed approaches is developed. The results show that optimizing the distribution network topology using the PSO approach contributed significantly to improving the reliability, node voltage, line currents, and calculation time.

The design of an upper limb rehabilitation robot for post-stroke patients is considered a benchmark problem regarding improving functionality and ensuring better human–robot interaction (HRI). Existing upper limb robots perform either joint-based exercises (exoskeleton-type functionality) or end-point exercises (end-effector-type functionality). Patients may need both kinds of exercises, depending on the type, level, and degree of impairments. This work focused on designing and developing a seven-degrees-of-freedom (DoFs) upper-limb rehabilitation exoskeleton called ‘u-Rob’ that functions as both exoskeleton and end-effector types device. Furthermore, HRI can be improved by monitoring the interaction forces between the robot and the wearer. Existing upper limb robots lack the ability to monitor interaction forces during passive rehabilitation exercises; measuring upper arm forces is also absent in the existing devices. This research work aimed to develop an innovative sensorized upper arm cuff to measure the wearer’s interaction forces in the upper arm. A PID control technique was implemented for both joint-based and end-point exercises. The experimental results validated both types of functionality of the developed robot.

Blockchain is a distributed operation and information supervision technology programmed initially for Bitcoin cryptocurrency. The awareness in Blockchain technology is rapidly growing since the notion was invented in the year 2008. The motivation for the concentration in Blockchain is its significant characteristics that deliver security, privacy, and information reliability devoid of any additional system regulating the communications, and consequently it generates fascinating research domains, specifically from the viewpoint of methodological difficulties and restrictions. This study discovers the wide‐ranging Blockchain technology and studies it's perspective with respect to ‘ internet‐of‐things ’ controlled nodes. A resilient prototype method has been programmed that reveals a basic system exhausting Blockchain. The outcome illustrates that the established method is functional in test‐bed environment.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a new robotic device for the rehabilitation of the upper limbs. The authors are focusing on a new symmetrical robot which can be used to rehabilitate the right upper limb and the left upper limb. The robotic arm can be automatically extended or reduced depending on the measurements of the patient's arm. The main idea is to integrate electrical stimulation into motor rehabilitation by robot. The goal is to provide automatic electrical stimulation based on muscle status during the rehabilitation process.Design/methodology/approach: The developed robotic arm can be automatically extended or reduced depending on the measurements of the patient's arm. The system merges two rehabilitation strategies: motor rehabilitation and electrical stimulation. The goal is to take the advantages of both approaches. Electrical stimulation is often used for building muscle through endurance, resistance and strength exercises. However, in the proposed approach the electrical stimulation is used for recovery, relaxation and pain relief. In addition, the device includes an electromyography (EMG) muscle sensor that records muscle activity in real time. The control architecture provides the ability to automatically activate the appropriate stimulation mode based on the acquired EMG signal. The system software provides two modes for stimulation activation: the manual preset mode and the EMG driven mode. The program ensures traceability and provides the ability to issue a patient status monitoring report.Findings: The developed robotic device is symmetrical and reconfigurable. The presented rehabilitation system includes a muscle stimulator associated with the robot to improve the quality of the rehabilitation process. The integration of neuromuscular electrical stimulation into the physical rehabilitation process offers effective rehabilitation sessions for neuromuscular recovery of the upper limb. A laboratory-made stimulator is developed to generate three modes of stimulation: pain relief, massage and relaxation. Through the control software interface, the physiotherapist can set the exercise movement parameters, define the stimulation mode and record the patient training in real time.Research limitations/implications: There are certain constraints when applying the proposed method, such as the sensitivity of the acquired EMG signals. This involves the use of professional equipment and mainly the implementation of sophisticated algorithms for signal extraction.Practical implications: Functional electrical stimulation and robot-based motor rehabilitation are the most important technologies applied in post-stroke rehabilitation. The main objective of integrating robots into the rehabilitation process is to compensate for the functions lost in people with physical disabilities. The stimulation technique can be used for recovery, relaxation and drainage and pain relief. In this context, the idea is to integrate electrical stimulation into motor rehabilitation based on a robot to obtain the advantages of the two approaches to further improve the rehabilitation process. The introduction of this type of robot also makes it possible to develop new exciting assistance devices.Originality/value: The proposed design is symmetrical, reconfigurable and light, covering all the joints of the upper limbs and their movements. In addition, the developed platform is inexpensive and a portable solution based on open source hardware platforms which opens the way to more extensions and developments. Electrical stimulation is often used to improve motor function and restore loss of function. However, the main objective behind the proposed stimulation in this paper is to recover after effort. The novelty of the proposed solution is to integrate the electrical stimulation powered by EMG in robotic rehabilitation.