Rehabilitation Tricycle with Pneumatic Drive System

Rehabilitation of people with lower limb dysfunctions concerns people after orthopedic injuries, strokes and at present mainly elderly people. As a result of the extension of human life, civilization progress and improvement in the quality of life in the world, the percentage of people in post-working age is systematically growing. This trend is particularly visible in highly developed countries. The most common of musculoskeletal disorders in the elderly is osteoarthritis of the large joints of the limbs. Currently more than 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year. Degenerative changes are mostly caused by obesity, excessive overload in earlier periods of life (hard physical work) and metabolic disorders. Rehabilitation of people is aimed at preventing the dangerous consequences of long-term immobilization, maintaining the physiological range of motion in the joint, preventing the formation of contractures and preventing degeneration of the articular cartilage. An important challenge is the activation of the elderly through devices supporting movement and rehabilitation devices. One of the possibilities are three-wheeled rehabilitation bicycles. The article presents the design of a three-wheeled rehabilitation bicycle with an innovative pneumatic drive. Thanks to the solutions used, the tricycle is environmentally friendly. Heavy and problematic to dispose of gel or lithium-ion batteries were eliminated and replaced with composite cylinders for high-pressure compressed air. The tricycle is characterized by many positive features, such as: quiet operation, low weight, the ability to adjust the load on the rehabilitated limbs, the ability to move freely in the absence of a power source and travel at high speed.