Robotically adjustable kinematics in a wrist-driven orthosis eases grasping across tasks

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Assistive Technology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Individuals with C5-C7 spinal cord injury (SCI) often rely on wrist extension for grasping.
• Existing wearable grasping devices use wrist-driven mechanisms but face long-term abandonment.
• Wrist constraints in current devices may negatively impact reach and grasp kinematics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if continuous robotic motor assistance enhancing wrist adaptability improves grasping for individuals with SCI.
• To assess the impact of increased wrist mobility on task difficulty and perceived exertion.
• To enhance the versatility and user desirability of assistive grasping devices.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing continuous robotic motor assistance to provide adaptable wrist posture prior to grasping.
• Evaluating task difficulty and perceived exertion with enhanced wrist mobility.
• Analyzing grasp kinematics and device versatility across various hand poses and workspace positions.

Main Results:

• Continuous robotic assistance allowing greater wrist adaptability reduced task difficulty and perceived exertion.
• Increased wrist mobility enabled users to adopt comfortable and natural postures.
• Enhanced wrist mobility improved the versatility of assistive grasping devices for diverse tasks.

Conclusions:

• Allowing greater wrist mobility through robotic assistance enhances the usability of grasping devices for individuals with SCI.
• Future assistive device designs can improve user experience by integrating body-power with robotic automation for more natural movement.
• This approach holds potential to increase long-term adoption of assistive grasping technologies.