Using an ankle robotic device for motor performance and motor learning evaluation

Francesca Martelli; Eduardo Palermo; Zaccaria Del Prete; Stefano Rossi

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03262

Using an ankle robotic device for motor performance and motor learning evaluation

Heliyon. 2020 Jan 24;6(1):e03262. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03262. eCollection 2020 Jan.

Authors

Francesca Martelli¹, Eduardo Palermo¹, Zaccaria Del Prete¹, Stefano Rossi²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMA), Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy.
² Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization (DEIM), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.

Abstract

In this paper we performed the evaluation of ankle motor performance and motor learning during a goal-directed task, executed using the pediAnklebot robot. The protocol consisted of 3 phases (Familiarization, Adaptation, and Wash Out) repeated one time for each movement direction (plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion). During Familiarization and Wash out subjects performed goal-directed movements in unperturbed environment, whereas during Adaptation phase, a curl viscous force field was applied and it was randomly removed 10 times out of 200. Ankle motor performance was evaluated by means of a set of indices grouped into: accuracy, smoothness, temporal, and stopping indices. Learning Index was calculated to study the motor learning during the adaptation phase, which was subdivided into 5 temporal intervals (target sets). The outcomes related to the ankle motor performance highlighted that the best performance in terms of accuracy and smoothness of the trajectories was obtained in dorsiflexion movements in the sagittal plane, and in inversion rotations in the frontal plane. Differences between movement directions revealed an anisotropic behavior of the ankle joint. Results of the Learning index showed a capability of the subjects to rapidly adapt to a perturbed force field depending on the magnitude of the perceived field.

Keywords: Ankle; Biomechanical engineering; Biomechanics; Biomedical engineering; Goal directed task; Kinematic indices; Learning index; Motor learning; Rehabilitation; pediAnklebot.