Development of a Biomechanical System for Rehabilitation Purposes of Bedridden Patients with Prolonged Immobility – Prototype and Preliminary Results

Citizens with physical limitations, mainly bedridden patients, cannot perform physical activity, which can translate into long periods of immobilization, with severe consequences for their health. This type of patient usually stays in bed for long periods, leading to getting several motor problems due to immobility. Thus, it is vital to develop biomechanical systems to implement physical rehabilitation activities for this type of patient. This work presents a prototype designed as Ablefit, created explicitly for bedridden patients, aiming to prevent complications associated with their immobility for long periods. The developed equipment is based on structural support and positioning unit, an active/passive linear module, and an active/passive rotary module, allowing them to perform different types of physical movements by the user. The work presented describes system requirements and the developed prototype's concept, emphasizing the equipment's mechanical system and its interface with the user. The first tests on the prototype of the system made it possible to identify the adjustments to be implemented and showed the possibility that it could represent an added value in physical motor rehabilitation procedures for bedridden patients.