Anna-Maria Georgarakis


Last Name

Georgarakis

First Name

Anna-Maria

ORCID

0000-0002-3520-333X

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Publications 1 - 4 of 4
  • Soft robotic suits: State of the art, core technologies and open challenges
    Item type: Journal Article
    Xiloyannis, Michele; Alicea, Ryan; Georgarakis, Anna-Maria; et al. (2022)
    IEEE Transactions on Robotics
    Wearable robots are undergoing a disruptive transition, from the rigid machines that populated the science-fiction world in the early eighties to lightweight robotic apparel, hardly distinguishable from our daily clothes. In less than a decade of development, soft robotic suits have achieved important results in human motor assistance and augmentation. In this paper, we start by giving a definition of soft robotic suits and proposing a taxonomy to classify existing systems. We then critically review the modes of actuation, the physical human-robot interface and the intention-detection strategies of state of the art soft robotic suits, highlighting the advantages and limitations of different approaches. Finally, we discuss the impact of this new technology on human movements, for both augmenting human function and supporting motor impairments, and identify areas that are in need of further development.
  • Supporting and Stabilizing the Scapulohumeral Rhythm with a Body- or Robot-Powered Orthosis
    Item type: Journal Article
    Georgarakis, Anna-Maria; Zimmermann, Yves; Wolf, Peter; et al. (2022)
    IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics
    The versatile functionality of the human upper limb is owed to the coordinated rotation of the scapula and humerus, a pattern called the scapulohumeral rhythm (SHR). Various medical conditions can alter the SHR, frequently leading to limitations in activities of daily living. However, to date, supporting the SHR in practice is often not feasible. We present a textile orthosis that assists the SHR both in stand-alone use and in combination with the ANYexo, a therapy exoskeleton, or the Myoshirt, an assistive exomuscle. The SHR Orthosis comprised a textile harness and a scapula interface that was coupled with the upper arm to promote scapular upward rotation. In a technical evaluation including four participants without impairments and one with a partial hemiparesis, the SHR Orthosis followed the desired scapular rotation with an average deviation of less than 5 %, thus providing accurate support and guidance towards the physiological SHR. The SHR Orthosis substituted for <=42 % of the normal forces, and <=19.6 % of the tangential forces required for scapular stabilization and rotation, providing sufficient support for patients with remaining muscular function. At last, the SHR Orthosis provides practicable scapula support in daily life, during conventional therapy, and in combination with assistive and therapy robots.
  • A textile exomuscle that assists the shoulder during functional movements for everyday life
    Item type: Journal Article
    Georgarakis, Anna-Maria; Xiloyannis, Michele; Wolf, Peter; et al. (2022)
    Nature Machine Intelligence
    Effortlessly performing activities of daily living constitutes a cornerstone of our personal independence. Naturally, various forms of upper limb impairments can have a substantial impact on quality of life. We developed the Myoshirt, a textile-based soft wearable robot, or exomuscle, that autonomously follows the user’s movements and thereby assists the shoulder against gravity. With the Myoshirt, participants without impairments (n = 10, 5 male) experienced a delayed onset of muscular fatigue by 51.1 s (36.1%, P < 0.001), while during a functional task their muscular activity decreased by 49.1% (P < 0.001). Analogously, two participants with upper limb impairments due to a muscular dystrophy and a spinal cord injury experienced a delayed onset of muscular fatigue during unloaded arm lifts by 256.4 s (61.5%) and by 450.6 s (210.3%), respectively. Our evidence suggests that the Myoshirt is an effective tool that intuitively assists the shoulder during functional reaching tasks, with the potential of increasing the personal independence of people with upper limb impairments.
  • A stretchable sensor for force estimation in soft wearable robots
    Item type: Conference Paper
    Basla, Chiara; Georgarakis, Anna-Maria; Reichmuth, Markus; et al. (2022)
    2022 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)
    Soft wearable robots to assist human movements, such as exosuits, have rapidly gained attention thanks to their compliance, low weight and accessibility. However, force measurement in exosuits still rely on load cells and rigid sensors that are not wearable or unsuitable for applications outside the lab. Soft, stretchable and lightweight sensors that become invisible when integrated in an exosuit and perfectly conform to the human body represent a promising alternative. In this work, we developed a wearable sensing system based on a soft stretchable silicone-based strain gauge to measure the forces acting in the passive elastic elements of an exosuit. To measure sensor’s accuracy, two unimpaired participants walked on a treadmill at speeds between 0.9 and 2.1 ms−1. When comparing our solution to a state-of-the-art motion capture system, we found an average root mean square error in force estimation of 12.5% and a standard deviation of 7.4%. Furthermore, we showed the portability of our sensory system by monitoring the forces exerted by the wearable robot during outdoor walking. Our study shows the potential of using stretchable sensors to monitor walking patterns in studies outside the lab and to control human-robot interaction.
Publications 1 - 4 of 4