This paper presents the current state of the art in mobile robots used on power transmission lines. Many theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted in order to develop autonomous machines to travel along transmission lines to perform inspection and/or repair work. These machines can improve efficiency, reduce labour costs and are expected to reduce the risk of injury to maintenance personnel. Despite there already being a number of pieces of theoretical research and technological developments in this area, problems related to stability, ability and autonomy still exist. As such, first this paper presents the main studies already carried out and the devices generally used on power transmission lines. After the latest trends have been presented, a new idea for module robots carrying out inspections/maintenance of power transmission lines is presented. Finally, the future of mobile robots applied to power transmission lines is discussed.

This paper describes a low-cost cable-driven manipulator robot for lower limb rehabilitation, designed for the population with gait impairments, such as those with cerebral palsy or stroke. The robot is composed by a fixed base and a mobile platform (orthoses) that can be connected to one cable, or at most six, and can perform the individual movements of the hip, the knee, and the ankle. It starts with a review of the different mechanical systems developed and applied for lower limb rehabilitation. After, the proposed structure is detailed. Finally, the numerical and experimental tests of the cable-driven parallel structure for lower limb rehabilitation movements are outlined, showing the viability of the proposed structure.

In this paper a cable-based system is presented for rehabilitation of the shoulder and elbow movements. Cable-based manipulators have very good kinematic and dynamic characteristics, and they also show other properties such as: transportability and low-cost construction, which make them also suitable for medical applications and rehabilitation. The general robotics structure consists of four cables that allow the movement of vertical flexion-extension, abduction-adduction and horizontal flexion-extension with different limits of movement and speed of the shoulder. The structure can also perform the elbow movements of the flexion-extension. The development of this robotic device is justified by the large number of people with upper limb problems. These problems are due of stroke, polio, arthritis, recovery after accidents or trauma and can be applied to movements of physical therapy. The kinematics model of cable-based parallel robots is obtained similarly to the model obtained from traditional parallel structures. The graphical simulations of the cable-based parallel structure for rehabilitation of the movements of the human arm are presented showing the viability of the proposed structure. Finally preliminary experimental tests are presented.

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This article proposes a novel device for wrist motion rehabilitation. The proposed mechatronic architecture is based on a simple user-friendly design, which includes a mobile platform for hand support, which is operated by a single actuator. A dedicated assist-as-needed control is designed to operate the device for the required movements. The proposed control strategy is also integrated into a gaming software for stimulating the exercising by means of various interactions with patients. Experimental tests are carried out with 14 healthy subjects at the Physiotherapy Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlandia. Also, three patients with stroke have been enrolled in a pilot clinical testing. Each of the patients has been involved in four sessions per month with 15 min of assisted treatment. Results of experimental tests are analyzed in terms of improvements and amplitude gains for the flexion and extension wrist movements. Experimental results are reported as evidence for the feasibility and soundness of the proposed device as a tool to assist professionals in procedures of wrist rehabilitation.