Design and Development of a Novel Sensorized Orthosis for Orthopedic Rehabilitation

Sammanfattning

This thesis presents the design, development, and implementation of a novel sensorizedorthosis for orthopedic rehabilitation. The system addresses the lack ofquantitative feedback in traditional passive braces by integrating compact sensingand data communication modules into a lightweight and modular structure. Anabsolute rotary encoder and two six-axis IMUs were employed to measure knee jointangle and motion dynamics in real time. The embedded controller, based on anESP32-S3 microcontroller, supports high-frequency data acquisition, local microSDlogging, and wireless communication with the ROS 2 framework, enabling bothoffline analysis and interactive applications.The system was designed as a fully independent and non-invasive add-on to a commercialpostoperative brace, maintaining clinical compatibility while adding sensingcapability. The complete system weighs approximately 180 grams and allows rapidattachment and removal without altering the brace’s mechanical properties. Experimentalvalidation confirmed stable and synchronized sensor performance, accuratejoint-angle estimation, and reliable differentiation between correct and incorrect rehabilitationmotions.The integration of the existing Unity3D-based rehabilitation game with the proposedsystem successfully validated its feasibility and immense potential in intelligent,interactive rehabilitation. This system bridges the technological gap betweenconventional orthopedic braces and intelligent robotic rehabilitation devices, establishinga solid foundation for achieving intelligent, quantitative, and personalizedrehabilitation assessment and training.