This paper is focused on the development of a control system, implemented on a parallel robot designed for the lower limb rehabilitation of bedridden stroke survivors. The paper presents the RECOVER robotic system kinematics, further implemented into the control system, which is described in terms of architecture and functionality. Through a battery of experimental tests, achieved in laboratory conditions using eight healthy subjects, the feasibility and functionality of the proposed robotic system have been validated, and the overall performance of the control system has been studied. The range of motion of each targeted joint has been recorded using a commercially available external sensor system. The kinematic parameters, namely the patient’s joints velocities and accelerations have been recorded and compared to the ones obtained using the virtual model, yielding a very small difference between them, which provides a validation of the RECOVER initial design, both in terms of mechanical construction and control system.

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This paper presents a novel robotic system for the lower limb rehabilitation of post-stroke survivors. The model presented in this paper aims to demonstrate an innovative solution that helps in the mobilization of the hip and knee flexion/extension and the ankle plantar flexion/extension and eversion/inversion motions. The paper focuses on achieving the dynamic balancing of the hip-knee module, which due to high accelerations peak values and large size is prone to a certain degree of instability, leading to shaking forces and unwanted vibration that might reduce the safety feelings of the patient. A dynamically balanced mechanism will reduce noise, wear and fatigue and allow higher payload capacity.

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