A portable rehabilitation device for the Hand

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Biomechatronics
• Human-Robot Interaction

Background:

• Under-actuated hand exoskeletons are crucial for rehabilitation.
• Existing designs often lack optimization for human hand biomechanics.
• Need for devices offering quantitative feedback for therapists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a direct-driven, under-actuated portable hand exoskeleton (HEXOSYS).
• To optimize the exoskeleton's design using a multi-objective strategy inspired by the human hand.
• To ensure the device's compatibility with human hand force capabilities and provide feedback.

Main Methods:

• Multi-objective optimization strategy for link lengths.
• Inspiration from human hand biomechanics.
• Experiments with sensory instrumentation for actuator selection.
• Integration of force and position feedback mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Optimized link lengths based on dexterity, isotropy, and perpendicular force exertion.
• Actuator selection ensuring compatibility with human hand force capabilities.
• Successful design and realization of the first HEXOSYS prototype.
• Provision of quantitative force and position feedback.

Conclusions:

• The HEXOSYS design offers a novel approach to hand rehabilitation exoskeletons.
• The optimization strategy successfully integrated biomechanical and functional criteria.
• The prototype demonstrates potential for more efficient and quantitative rehabilitation processes.