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A fabric-based soft hand exoskeleton for assistance: the ExHand Exoskeleton
Juan C Maldonado-Mejía1,2, Marcela Múnera2,3, Camilo A R Diaz1
1Telecommunications Laboratory (LabTel), Electrical Engineering Department, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Vitória, Brazil.
Frontiers in Neurorobotics
|July 3, 2023
Summary
This study validates a fabric-based soft hand exoskeleton for assisting daily living activities. The ExHand Exoskeleton demonstrated high performance in grasping diverse objects, showing its potential for rehabilitation and daily assistance.
Area of Science:
- Soft robotics
- Rehabilitation robotics
- Human-robot interaction
Background:
- Soft robotics and textile-based pneumatic actuation are advancing hand exoskeletons for activities of daily living (ADL).
- Existing devices show potential but require thorough evaluation of grasping capabilities with various objects.
- Stable object manipulation is crucial for successful ADL assistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and experimentally validate a fabric-based soft hand exoskeleton.
- To assess the exoskeleton's grasping performance across diverse objects and ADLs.
- To evaluate user satisfaction with the device.
Main Methods:
- Developed a fabric-based soft hand exoskeleton (ExHand Exoskeleton).
- Utilized The Anthropomorphic Hand Assessment Protocol (AHAP) with 24 objects and 8 grasp types.
- Conducted tests with 10 healthy users and administered a user satisfaction questionnaire.
Main Results:
- The ExHand Exoskeleton achieved a Maintaining Score of 95.76% ± 2.90%, demonstrating stable contact with various objects.
- The device successfully assisted in performing the eight grasp types evaluated by the AHAP.
- User satisfaction was high, with a mean score of 4.27 ± 0.34 out of 5.
Conclusions:
- The fabric-based soft hand exoskeleton effectively grasps a variety of objects, supporting ADLs.
- The ExHand Exoskeleton shows promise for both rehabilitation and daily living assistance.
- Positive user feedback indicates the device's potential for practical application.
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