Robotic platform for hippotherapy and method for motor and cognitive assessment and stimulation

1 . A robotic platform for providing hippotherapy to a pediatric patient with a disability, the robotic platform comprising:

a structure comprising at least one high torque servomotor and an articulated mechanism simulating a head of a horse;

at least two load cells located in the articulated mechanism of the structure, for a control of direction and speed;

at least one seat module comprising:

a seat providing a sitting surface for the pediatric patient,

at least one inertial sensor of posture configured to be disposed on one or more of a cervical vertebrae, a lumbar vertebrae, and a hip of the pediatric patient seated on the seat to determine a posture of the pediatric patient, the at least one inertial sensor of posture being an inertial measurement unit configured to provide measurements of movement in an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis,

three load cells arranged in a triangular pattern on the seat to determine a load distribution of the pediatric patient thereon,

a visual stimulation sub-module comprising a RGB LED ring configured to emit light as one or more sequences or patterns of color toward the pediatric patient, and

an auditory stimulation sub-module configured to emit one or more sequences of tones toward the pediatric patient; and

at least two pressure sensors for a control of speed;

a crane module comprising a harness and a plurality of stirrups, the crane module supporting the pediatric patient via the harness and the plurality of stirrups to reduce a weight of the pediatric patient on the at least one seat module and to modify the posture of the pediatric patient; and

a processing module communicatively coupled to the at least one high torque servomotor of the structure, the at least two load cells of the articulated mechanism, the at least one inertial sensor of posture, and the three load cells, the visual stimulation sub-module, and the auditory stimulation sub-module of the at least one seat module, the processing module configured to:

receive one or more inputs from a caregiver, the one or more inputs corresponding to a therapy protocol for evaluating an executive function of the pediatric patient,

cause rotational movement of the structure in the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis based on the determination of the posture and the load distribution of the pediatric patient in accordance with the therapy protocol,

cause the visual stimulation sub-module to emit the light in a determined sequence and/or pattern based on the therapy protocol, the determined sequence and/or pattern eliciting responses from the pediatric patient that are indicative of the executive function of the pediatric patient,

cause the auditory stimulation sub-module to emit a determined sequence of tones based on the therapy protocol, the determined sequence of tones eliciting responses from the pediatric patient that are indicative of the executive function of the pediatric patient, and

adjust the rotational movement of the structure based on the responses from the pediatric patient and/or additional inputs received from the caregiver.

2 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature control module configured to sense a temperature of the pediatric patient at a point of contact with the sitting surface via one or more temperature sensors, and causing heating of the sitting surface to 38° C. and 42° C. based on the temperature of the pediatric patient to simulate a horse body temperature.

3 . The robotic platform of claim 2 , wherein the temperature control module comprises a coating of a nichrome wire frame coated with silicone, controlled by a solid state relay and a microcontroller with a proportional, integral and derivative (PID) control based on an internal control model (ICM).

4 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein the visual stimulation sub-module is connected to the at least two load cells in order to indicate a position of the pediatric patient and a correction of a location of a body of the pediatric patient by visual stimuli.

5 . The robotic platform of claim 4 , wherein the visual stimulation sub-module comprises a screen with color sequences indicating the weight distribution.

6 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein the auditory stimulation sub-module comprises a player and a speaker to emit the determined sequence of tones.

7 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , further comprising a bus coupled to the processing module, the at least one high torque servomotor of the structure, the at least two load cells of the articulated mechanism, the at least one inertial sensor of posture, and the three load cells of the at least one seat module.

8 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein the light in the determined sequence and/or pattern is in a form of at least one color, wherein each color corresponds to a signal indicated to the pediatric patient and/or the caregiver.

9 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein the RGB LED ring is a proprioception indicator and comprises a plurality of LEDs that each emit light at a predetermined color that corresponds to signals provided by the three load cells, the predetermined color indicating a deviation of weight distribution of the pediatric patient on the at least one seat module.

10 . The robotic platform of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined color is:

green when the signals received from the three load cells indicates a relative low intensity deviation in weight distribution;

yellow when the signals received from the three load cells indicates a relative intermediate intensity deviation in weight distribution; and

red when the signals received from the three load cells indicate a relative high intensity deviation in weight distribution.

11 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein the determined sequence of tones are associated with orders or instructions to adjust movement of the structure that is stimulating movement of the head of the horse.

12 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein processing module is configured to adjust the rotational movement of the structure by adjusting an intensity and/or a degree of the rotational movement of the structure based on the executive function of the pediatric patient.

13 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein the therapy protocol for evaluating the executive function of the pediatric patient comprises an executive function relating to learning and experience processes of the pediatric patient.

14 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein:

the processing module is configured to cause rotational movement of the structure by causing soft movements to stimulate a lumbar zone and hips of the pediatric patient;

the processing module is further configured to initiate a cognitive function by causing the visual stimulation sub-module to emit the light and the auditory stimulation sub-module to emit the determined sequence of tones to elicit interaction of the pediatric patient with the robotic platform via hands of the pediatric patient; and

causing the soft movements and initiating the cognitive function results in the pediatric patient moving in a manner that causes corresponding movement of the structure.

15 . The robotic platform of claim 1 , wherein the rotational movement of the structure, the light emitted by the visual stimulation sub-module, and the determined sequence of tones emitted by the auditory stimulation sub-module, together with sensed information from the at least two load cells and the at least two pressure sensors that are indicative of a response of the pediatric patient provides data usable for assessment and treatment of the pediatric patient.

16 . A method for cognitive assessment and stimulation of a pediatric patient with a disability using a robotic platform, the method comprising:

defining a set of functioning parameters of the robotic platform, the robotic platform comprising:

a structure comprising at least one high torque servomotor and an articulated mechanism simulating a head of a horse,

at least two load cells located in the articulated mechanism of the structure for a control of direction and speed,

at least one seat module comprising a seat providing a sitting surface for a pediatric patient, at least one inertial sensor of posture configured to be disposed on one or more of a cervical vertebrae, a lumbar vertebrae, and a hip of the pediatric patient seated on the seat to determine a posture of the pediatric patient, three load cells arranged in a triangular pattern on the seat to determine a load distribution of the pediatric patient on the seat, a visual stimulation sub-module comprising a RGB LED ring configured to emit light as one or more sequences or patterns of color toward the pediatric patient, and an auditory stimulation sub-module configured to emit one or more sequences of tones toward the pediatric patient, the at least one inertial sensor of posture being an inertial measurement unit configured to provide measurements of movement in an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis,

at least two pressure sensors, and

a crane module comprising a harness and a plurality of stirrups, the crane module supporting the pediatric patient via the harness and the plurality of stirrups to reduce a weight of the pediatric patient on the at least one seat module and to modify the posture of the pediatric patient;

receiving one or more inputs from a caregiver, the one or more inputs corresponding to a therapy protocol for evaluating an executive function of the pediatric patient;

initiating a movement on the robotic platform via the at least one high torque servomotor, the movement of the robotic platform comprising rotational movement in the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis;

causing the visual stimulation sub-module to emit the light in a determined sequence and/or pattern based on the therapy protocol;

causing the auditory stimulation sub-module to emit a determined sequence of tones based on the therapy protocol;

receiving a control signal from the pediatric patient via the three load cells, wherein movement of the pediatric patient to generate the control signal is in response to the light and the determined sequence of tones and based on the executive function of the pediatric patient;

determining a direction and a speed set by the pediatric patient based on the received control signal;

determining a posture of the pediatric patient based on a signal coming from the at least one inertial sensor of the at least one seat module;

determining a distribution of a load of the pediatric patient on the at least one seat module via the three load cells;

calculating a movement required to correct the posture of the pediatric patient, via a processing module;

reducing the weight of the pediatric patient via the crane module; and

physically stimulating the pediatric patient to correct his/her posture via the the visual stimulation sub-module and/or the auditory stimulation sub-module.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising a step of controlling a temperature on the seat module via a temperature control module by setting the temperature between 38° C. and 42° C., and variable to simulate heat transfer from a body of a horse.