A Soft Wearable Robot to Support Scapular Adduction and Abduction for Respiratory Rehabilitation

This study proposes a soft wearable robot that supports scapular adduction and abduction to rehabilitate respiratory diseases. For the elderly, the decrease in the range of thorax movement due to aging increases the risk of respiratory diseases. Although adduction and abduction exercise of the scapula effectively improves the movement range of the respiratory muscles around the thorax, it is difficult for the elderly owing to reduced voluntary upper-arm mobility, and hence a physiotherapist's support is required. The proposed robot has a simple mechanism with a small degree of freedom that supports the elderly in stretching their thorax on their own at home. We first describe the design concept of the proposed soft robot with a shoulder brace with elastic components to constrain shoulder movement. Then, we conduct a pilot study to determine appropriate design parameters based on a therapist's kinematic analysis of the glenohumeral joint during the stretching. The evaluation experiment with eight healthy participants to validate the supporting function of the system is described. Hence, we confirm that the proposed system can provide scapular adduction and abduction movement similar to what physiotherapists provide.