The paper presents the design optimization of the ASPIRE spherical parallel robot for shoulder rehabilitation following clinical evaluation and clinicians' feedback. After the development of the robotic structure and the implementation of the control system, ASPIRE was prepared for clinical evaluation. A set of clinical trials was performed on 24 patients with different neurological disorders to obtain the patient and clinician acceptance of the rehabilitation system. During the clinical trials, the behavior of the robotic system was closely monitored and analyzed in order to improve its reliability and overall efficiency. Along with its reliability and efficiency, special attention was given to the safety characteristics during the rehabilitation task.
Keywords: design; neuro-muscular disorders; optimization; robotic assisted rehabilitation; stroke clinical trial.