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A Soft Exoskeleton for Tremor Suppression Equipped with Flexible Semiactive Actuator
Ahmad Zahedi1, Bin Zhang1, Andong Yi1
1State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Soft Robotics
|August 22, 2020
Summary
A new soft exoskeleton for tremor suppression (SETS) effectively reduces wrist tremor by over 56% using a novel magnetorheological fluid actuator. This wearable assistive technology offers a promising non-invasive treatment for movement disorders like Parkinson's disease.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Technology
- Assistive Devices
Background:
- Pathological tremor, common in Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, significantly impacts quality of life.
- Current treatments like drugs and surgery have limitations and side effects.
- Novel assistive technologies are needed for effective tremor management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and evaluate a novel soft exoskeleton for tremor suppression (SETS).
- To develop a controllable, flexible, semiactive actuator for tremor attenuation.
- To assess the system's effectiveness in reducing wrist tremor magnitude and velocity.
Main Methods:
- Design and fabrication of a soft exoskeleton incorporating a magnetorheological fluid actuator.
- Development of a hybrid damper combining cylinder-piston and elastic fluidic principles.
- Performance evaluation through simulations and experimental tests on a wrist prototype (255g, 11N max damping force).
Main Results:
- The SETS prototype demonstrated significant tremor reduction.
- Wrist tremor magnitude of acceleration decreased by 61.39%.
- Wrist tremor angular velocity decreased by 56.22%.
Conclusions:
- The developed soft exoskeleton is a mechanically efficient system for tremor suppression.
- The SETS offers a lightweight, compact, and wearable solution for tremor management.
- This technology shows potential as a non-invasive assistive device for movement disorders.
