Determining the Reaction of Ankle Joint Muscle System Using an Exoskeleton

This paper describes the way of determining the of ankle joint muscle system using an exoskeleton. The paper indicates the difficulties measuring the effectiveness of rehabilitation procedures, due to the spasticity and musculoskeletal contracture of the ankle joint, as well as the general uncertainty and individuality of the muscular system of the ankle joint during rehabilitation. The paper describes the design of robotic device of active-passive mechanotherapy of the ankle joint, the location of the measuring modules, and the operating principle of the adaptive control system for this device. The paper also shows the data obtained during experimental studies and the influence of various factors during rehabilitation procedures on the behavior of the musculoskeletal system is described. This paper describes the behavior of this system, and indicators of the stiffness and viscosity of the musculoskeletal system are derived, allowing the adaptation of device control algorithms and helping improve the usage of existing measuring scales.