Redesign and validation of a watertight housing for a new hybrid underwater actuator
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17979/ja-cea.2026.47.13788Keywords:
Mechatronics, Biomedical mechatronics, Underwater rehabilitation, Hybrid actuatorAbstract
Injuries to the central nervous system, such as strokes, have a significant impact on people’s independence, as they cause motor disorders such as spasticity, thereby limiting and affecting the quality of life of those affected. In recent years, work has been carried out on the NOHA project, investigating a new paradigm of robotic-aquatic rehabilitation that combines traditional robotics with the benefits of hydrotherapy. In the latest tests carried out, certain issues were identified regarding the watertightness of the manufactured enclosure, which this article aims to resolve. The results of the redesign and validation of the new version is presented below, suggesting improved performance in terms of watertightness and the efficiency of the PID positional control.
References
Brütsch, K., Koenig, A., Zimmerli, L.,Mérillat-Koeneke, S., Riener, R., Jäncke, L., van Hedel, H. J., Meyer-Heim, A., 2011. Virtual reality for enhancement of robot-assisted gait training in children with neurological gait disorders. Journal of rehabilitation medicine 43 (6), 493–499. DOI: 10.2340/16501977-0802
Belmonte-Cerdán, E., J. V. García-Pérez, Martínez-Pascual, D.ª, J. Álvarez-Pastor, A. Blanco-Ivorra, J. M. Catalán, N. García-Aracil.,2023. Diseño de un actuador híbrido para rehabilitación acuática.
Mirelman, A., Bonato, P., Deutsch, J. E., 2009. Effects of training with a robot-virtual reality system compared with a robot alone on the gait of individuals after stroke. Stroke 40 (1), 169–174. DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.108.516328
García-Pérez,J.V, Belmonte-Cerdán,E. ,Álvarez Pastor, J., Blanco-Ivorra,A.,Catalán,J.M., García-Aracil,N. Estudio de viabilidad de un nuevo concepto de actuador híbrido para robótica de rehabilitación acuática.
Herraiz-Sala,M., Peral-Sempere,E., Belmonte-Cerdán,E., Miñano,F.J, Blanco-Ivorra,A., García-Aracil,N.,2025. Evaluacion de un actuador híbrido para rehabilitación robótica subacuática.
Kesiktas, N., Paker, N., Erdogan, N., Gülsen, G., Biçki, D., Yilmaz, H., 2004.The use of hydrotherapy for the management of spasticity. Neurorehabilitation and neural repair 18 (4), 268–273.
Kobeissy, F. H., 2015. Brain neurotrauma: Molecular, neuropsychological, and rehabilitation aspects. Frontiers in NeuroengineeringIsbn: 978-1-4665-6598-2.
Pereira, S., Graham, J. R., Shahabaz, A., Salter, K., Foley, N., Meyer, M., Teasell, R., 2012. Rehabilitation of individuals with severe stroke:Synthesis of best evidence and challenges in implementation. Topics in Stroke
Rehabilitation 19 (2), 122–131. DOI: 10.1310/tsr1902-122
Roby-Brami, A., Jarrassé, N., Parry, R., 2021. Impairment and compensation in dexterous upper-limb function after stroke. from the direct consequences of pyramidal tract lesions to behavioral involvement of both upper-limbs in daily activities. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 15. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.662006
Roper, J. A., Bressel, E., Tillman, M. D., 2013. Acute aquatic treadmill exercise improves gait and pain in people with knee osteoarthritis. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation 94 (3), 419–425.
Ung Heo, Sangjoon J. Kim, Jung Kim, 2020. Backdrivable and Fully-Portable Pneumatic Back Support Exoskeleton for Lifting Assistance.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Javier Chinchilla-Pastor, Manuel Herraiz-Sala, Fco. Javier Miñano, Julián Girona-Mora, Andrea Blanco-Ivorra, Nicolás García-Aracil
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
