Wearable haptic technologies for applications in rehabilitation and robotics

摘要: The aim of the thesis is to present two distinct approaches (High and Low TRL) to the design of wearable haptic technologies leading to different research challenges in the field of rehabilitation and robotics. Specifically, the High TRL approach consists in the integration of commercial components into a physical interface (system-level integration of components), while the Low TRL approach involves the merging of multiple disciplines from biology and medicine to engineering, electronics, physics, chemistry and materials science, to develop novel materials and functional devices (component-level design).A wearable tactile display, namely the VT belt was developed following the High TRL approach, through the integration of commercial vibrating motors (VT units) into a textile belt. The belt has been interfaced to sensorized shoes to deliver augmented sensory feedback to lower-limb amputees. The thesis reports …