Design of a thumb module for the FINGER rehabilitation robot

This paper describes the design and initial prototype of a thumb curling exoskeleton for movement therapy. This add-on device for the Finger INdividuating Grasp Exercise Robot (FINGER) guides the thumb through a single-degree-of-freedom naturalistic grasping motion. This motion complements the grasping motions of the index and middle fingers provided by FINGER. The kinematic design and mechanism synthesis described herein utilized 3D motion capture and included the determination of the principle plane of the thumb motion for the simple grasping movement. The results of the design process and the creation of a first prototype indicate that this thumb module for finger allows naturalistic thumb motion that expands the capabilities of the FINGER device.