An Anthropomorphic Soft Exosuit for Hand Rehabilitation

IEEE Int Conf Rehabil Robot. 2019 Jun:2019:1121-1126. doi: 10.1109/ICORR.2019.8779481.

Abstract

Functional impairment of the hand, for example after a stroke, can be partially improved by intensive training. This is currently done by physiotherapy and the optimal intensity of hand rehabilitation programs is usually not reached due to a lack in human resources (high costs) and patients fatigue. In this work a cost-effective soft exosuit to support the hand's grasping function is presented. The system is based on tendon-like wires and all fingers except the little finger are actuated. Each of the remaining four fingers is bidirectionally controlled by an electrical motor. This allows a variety of gripping situations, e.g. a power or precision grip. Our prototype weighs 435g, including the battery and can be worn on the upper arm. The force applicable for a power grip exceeds 20N with a maximum gripping frequency of 4Hz. Furthermore, a force control is implemented, giving the wearer the opportunity to grab sensitive objects. All components used are available in different sizes, allowing a quick and individual preparation per patient. Therefore, our prototype can be used for rehabilitation while doing activities of daily living (ADL) starting on the day of the injury.

MeSH terms

  • Activities of Daily Living
  • Arm / physiology
  • Electromyography
  • Fingers / physiology
  • Hand / physiology*
  • Hand Strength
  • Humans
  • Rehabilitation
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*