Development of an Arm Curl Machine with Variable Resistance Using Pneumatic Artificial Rubber Muscle

A method to improve quality of life of elderly people is to increase muscle strength. The purpose of this study is to develop a machine to improve muscle strength effectively. In this paper, we proposed a muscle strength training machine that exerts variable resistance using pneumatic artificial rubber muscle. In addition, we observed the effect on muscle activity by using the proposed machine with predictable and unpredictable load change patterns. Experimental results showed that there was a difference between the rising time of muscle activity and the maximum amplitude of electromyogram depending on predictability of the load change and showed the possibility of effective muscle strength improvement against unpredictable load using the arm curl machine.