Electromechanical design of a body weight support system for a therapeutic robot for rodent studies

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 23).
As part of an ongoing effort to better understand and treat locomotor disorders, an over-ground therapeutic robot prototype to study recovery of locomotion after spinal cord injury in rodents is under development. One key element of the therapeutic robot is a system to support the partial body weight of a freely-moving rodent. This paper discusses the design requirements, fabrication, modeling, calibration and preliminary analysis of a highly back-drivable bodyweight support system prototype. In addition, a closed loop feedback control system was designed, simulated, constructed and tested. Hardware limitations were identified, and alternative control techniques were explored.
by Michaëlle Ntala Mayalu.
S.B.