Post #15

May 12, 2025

Node Status: 

• Base Node -- (In Progress) Luna will take the lead on the motion capabilities of the stretch

• Arm Node -- (Completed) Jonathan will take the lead on the exercise motion capabilities of the stretch

• Wrist Node -- (To be Developed) Jonathan will take the lead on the exercise motion capabilities of the stretch

• Camera Node -- (In Progress) Deven will take the lead on localizing the robot in reference to the patient

• UI Communication Node (In Progress) -- Luna and Deven will be creating the backend to determine which use cases of 

• Holding Scale Node (Completed) -- Vlad will be working on integrating the scale with our Stretch robot

• Recording Scale Node (To be Developed) -- Vlad and Deven will also oversee how this data is being stored

Node Communication: How nodes/modules will communicate with one another (messages, services, actions);

• Motion Topic -- The motion topic relates to all aspects of moving the robot, including its base, arm, and wrist. This works through a series of actions to allow the robot to choose whether it is focusing on arm or leg weakness for a patient. Additionally, there will be a service connection between motion and the user interface in order to specify robot movement. We will also interface with the camera node through ROS messages in order to take in sensor data continuously and adjust movement in reference to the patient.

• User Interface Topic and Service -- Our user interface covers how the patient will be controlling aspects of our Stretch robot. This acts as a service with request-response communication between the UI and the Stretch. We will be able to choose arm or leg weakness.

Additionally, there will be support for collecting live force data from the Stretch and display it on a session graph to gauge progress for the user. 

Minimum Viable Product & Stretch Goals: Which parts constitute the minimal viable product, and what parts are stretch goals.

• Overall, our MVP is a physical therapy robot, functioning as a specialist for two exercises, one for each the upper and lower body. Additionally, we will have a client facing interface to show session progress over time as added personalization for each potential patient. The first exercise is for improving arm mobility for patients who suffer from pain or other inhibitions in moving their arms for daily tasks. The user can specify arm weakness on the website, and then have the roobot supervise their physical therapy session by practicing circular motions with the patient and recording their output. Similar work will be done for leg weakness, where the exercise focuses on adding resistance to leg extensions, similar to how a human physical therapist would. Overall, the goal is for the patient to make structured progress on their arm or leg weakness and for hospitals to implement our robot as a fleet of physical therapists overseen by one human. 

• In terms of stretch goals, we hope to add greater exercise capabilities. Specifically, focusing on finger and other dextrous movement as well as further integrating with existing physical therapy tools such as electromagnetic gels and shock therapy. We also hope to make better use of the camera to make progress measurements in addition to our force sensor approach.