The steel manufacturing process is characterized by the requirement of expeditious development of high quality products at low cost through the effective use of available resources. Identifying solutions that meet the conflicting commercially imperative goals of such process chains is hard using traditional search techniques. The complexity in such a problem increases due to the presence of a large number of design variables, constraints and bounds, conflicting goals and the complex sequential relationships of the different stages of manufacturing. A classic example of such a manufacturing problem is the design of a rolling system for manufacturing a steel rod. This is a sequential process in which information flows from first rolling stage/pass to the last rolling pass and the decisions made at first pass influence the decisions that are made at the later passes. In this context, we define horizontal integration as the facilitation of information flow from one stage to another thereby establishing the integration of manufacturing stages to realize the end product. In this paper, we present an inverse design method based on well-established empirical models and response surface models developed through simulation experiments (finite-element based) along with the compromise decision support problem (cDSP) construct to support integrated information flow across different stages of a multistage hot rod rolling system. The method is goal-oriented because the design decisions are first made based on the end requirements identified for the process at the last rolling pass and these decisions are then passed to the preceding rolling passes following the sequential order in an inverse manner to design the entire rolling process chain to achieve the horizontal integration of stages. We illustrate the efficacy of the method by carrying out the design of a multistage rolling system. We formulate the cDSP for the second and fourth pass of a four pass rolling chain. The stages are designed by sequentially passing the design information obtained after exercising the cDSP for the last pass for different scenarios and identifying the best combination of design variables that satisfies the conflicting goals. The cDSP for the second pass helps in integrated information flow from fourth to first pass and in meeting specified goals imposed by the fourth and third passes. The end goals identified for this problem for the fourth pass are minimization of ovality (quality) of rod, maximization of throughput (productivity), and minimization of rolling load (performance and cost). The method can be instantiated for other multistage manufacturing processes such as the steel making process chain having several unit operations.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 12-week Wheelchair Tai Chi Ball (WTCB) intervention, a combination of mind-body exercise with strength training, on physical and mental health and functional abilities among elderly with disability. Twenty-six elderly persons participated in the study, nine WTCB group participants and ten control group participants completed the study. The WTCB group practised WTCB12 twice/week for one hour each time. The control group did their daily routine without WTCB intervention. The outcomes measures were: Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), SF-36v2 for physical and mental health, heart rate, blood pressure, range of motion and muscle strength of the dominant arm at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. The Mixed Model ANOVA was employed to examine the differences between and within the two groups using pre-test and post-test scores. The results demonstrated the WTCB group had significant improvements on PSEQ, general physical health and had positive effects on maintaining muscle strength at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints as compared to the control group. The WTCB12 exercise had positive effects on self-efficacy for pain management, general physical health, and maintain upper extremity muscle strength and is a feasible exercise for elderly with disability.

Crouch gait is a motor complication that is commonly associated with cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia, stroke, and motor-neurological pathologies, broadly defined as knee flexion in excess of 20° in the gait cycle. Uncorrected crouch gait results in fatigue, joint degradation, and loss of ambulation. Torsion springs have been used in cycling to store energy in the knee flexion to reduce fatigue in the quadriceps during knee extension. SolidWorks was used to design a passive exoskeleton for the knee, incorporating torsion springs of stiffnesses 20,000 N/mm and 30,000 N/mm at the knee joint, to correct four different crouch gaits. OpenSim was used to gather data from the moments produced, and knee angles from each crouch gait and the normal gait. Motion analysis of the exoskeleton was simulated using knee angles for each crouch gait and compared with the moments produced with the normal gait moments in the stance phase of the gait cycle. All crouch gait moments were significantly reduced, and the correction of peak crouch moments was achieved, corresponding to the normal gait cycle during the stance phase. These results offer significant potential for nonsurgical and less invasive options for wearable exoskeletons in crouch gait correction.

Crouch gait is a motor complication commonly associated with cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia, stroke, and motor-neurological pathologies, broadly defined as knee flexion in excess of 20° in the gait cycle. Uncorrected crouch gait results in fatigue, joint degradation, and loss of ambulation. Torsion springs have been used in cycling to store energy in knee flexion to reduce fatigue in the quadriceps during knee extension. SolidWorks was used to design a passive exoskeleton for the knee, incorporating torsion springs of stiffnesses 20,000 N/mm and 30,000 N/mm at the knee joint to correct four different crouch gaits. OpenSim was used to gather data from moments produced and knee angles from each crouch gait and the normal gait. Motion analysis of the exoskeleton was simulated using knee angles for each crouch gait and compared with moments produced with the normal gait moments in the stance phase of the gait cycle. All crouch gait moments were significantly reduced, and the correction of peak crouch moments was achieved corresponding to the normal gait cycle during the stance phase. These results offer significant potential for nonsurgical and less invasive options for wearable exoskeletons in crouch gait correction.

Partial paralysis caused by spinal cord injury (SCI) or stroke are two of the most prevalent forms of physical disability. Through proper gait training, people with incomplete SCI have more potential to retain or regain the ability to walk than those with complete SCI. To help patients who have these disabilities regain the function of walking unassisted, the robotic walking training device (RWTD) has been developed to perform gait rehabilitation. This research plays a pivotal role in advancing medical robotic technology and gait rehabilitation by conducting a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of three lift mechanisms. Specifically, the lift mechanisms are designed to reposition a patient, using the RWTD, from a supine to a vertical position. Addressing a crucial gap in supporting and placing patients in gait rehabilitation devices, design optimization was performed using the engineering design process. This approach utilizes sophisticated techniques, including CAD modeling, motion analysis, structural analysis using finite element analysis, and a Pugh decision matrix. The findings offer valuable insights for optimizing lift mechanisms for the RWTD, contributing to the enhancement of patient-centric care. This research ensures a focus on safety, efficiency, and comfort in the gait rehabilitation process, with broader implications for the evolution of medical robotic devices.

The C-Arm x-ray system (C-Arm) is a useful medical device commonly used in surgeries that require the use of x-ray images during operations. In some operations, surgeons rely heavily on the mobile C-Arm to effectively execute the surgery. In some cases, the success of the operation is directly correlated with the C-Arm and its ability to be repositioned to any desired position relative to the patient. In this paper, an integrated approach is provided for the automatic and accurate repositioning of a mobile C-Arm. The development of a C-Arm prototype is explained through the use of computer-aided design and manufacturing. To automatically reposition the C-Arm, a two-step integrated approach is introduced that uses motion capture systems and artificial intelligence-based repositioning. In the first step, the C-Arm is repositioned using Vicon motion capture along with a virtual platform and graphic user interface. In the second step, the accuracy of the repositioning of the C-Arm is further improved by incorporating a deep learning convolutional neural network with image processing and point feature matching. Key results indicate successful integration of the proposed method with the C-Arm prototype for the purpose of automatic and accurate repositioning.