A power-assisted arm balancer.

Abstract

The design described in this paper arose from the need of a polio victim to be able to feed himself. The patient was confined to a wheelchair. His right arm was completely paralysed, but he had limited ability to move his left arm. The arm balancer described allows the patient to swing his left arm freely in a horizontal plane, and also enables him to move his arm vertically, with power assistance under his own control.