EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION OF ASSIST-FEEV3 ELBOW ASSISTING DEVICE WITH PHYSIOTHERAPY CONSIDERATIONS

Abstract

Upper-limb rehabilitation and elderly exercise programs require lightweight, reliable, and physiotherapy-oriented assistive technologies capable of supporting controlled joint motion while enabling objective performance assessment. This paper presents experimental validation of ASSIST-FEEv3, a cable-driven elbow assisting device that is designed for flexion–extension exercises with emphasis on usability, portability, and physiotherapy integration. The device employs a dual-cable antagonistic mechanism that is actuated by servomotors housed in a compact module, allowing guided motion in the arm sagittal plane with minimal wearable load mass. A testing campaign was conducted with 25 healthy volunteers under the supervision of physiotherapy experts following a properly designed protocol for three sessions of ten repetitions each. Joint kinematics was acquired through integrated sensing, and performance metrics including maximum flexion, maximum extension, and range of motion (ROM) were analyzed to assess repeatability, motion smoothness, and user-specific variability. The results demonstrate consistent motion assistance across repeated cycles, variability between sessions, and comparable ROM distributions between sexes. Observed deviations were considered due to individual temporary conditions rather than device-related limitations. The device operated with low energy consumption as required in home-based applications. Test findings validate both the mechanical reliability and the physiotherapy-oriented operational framework of the ASSIST-FEEv3 device.