Design and Development of a Hand Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation Following Stroke (original) (raw)
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Feasibility Study of a Hand Exoskeleton for Rehabilitation of Post-Stroke Patients
Volume 3: Advanced Composite Materials and Processing; Robotics; Information Management and PLM; Design Engineering, 2012
This paper illustrates the activity done by the authors for the development of a hand exoskeleton with two degrees of freedom addressed to the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. The literature is investigated and many design issues are deeply discussed with the purpose to provide a reader who is approaching this problem with useful guidelines. The feasibility study of a one degree of freedom mechanism for one finger, intended as the basic module of the targeted hand exoskeleton, is outlined: two kinematic chains having six and eight links respectively are presented and discussed.
Design, Development and Evaluation of a New Hand Exoskeleton for Stroke Rehabilitation at Home
Politeknik Dergisi, 2020
Rehabilitation at home is a growing need worldwide. Previous studies have suggested different devices in terms of motion and force transmission. In this study, we present design and development process of a novel hand exercise exoskeleton. The main advantages of our device that are portable, wearable, light weight (345 grams) and suitable for home use. The greatest feature of the device is the force transmitting mechanism. The spring mechanism manufactured by using commercial compression springs has some advantages in terms of size and weight. In design studies of the device, we have made use of the systematic approach. In this way, the best of three possible design solutions has been determined. Then the best design solution was selected. A few prototypes of the device were manufactured. The device has been tested clinically on both unimpaired individuals and hemiplegic hand patients for a short time. It was reported that the exoskeleton was suited to passive exercises. The result ...
Development and Control of Hand Exoskeleton System Using Intended Movement
2021 IEEE 3rd Eurasia Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare and Sustainability (ECBIOS), 2021
Hand motor impairment is a common disability among stroke survivors that severely affect their ability in activities of daily livings (ADLs), reducing independence and quality of life. Throughout the rehabilitation process, stroke patients able to regain partially or fully the hand motor function. However, the conventional rehabilitation process is limited by the insufficient number of therapists, labor-intensiveness, and low compliance. The objective of this study was to support the rehabilitation process and ADLs through the development of the Flexible Linkage Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot (FLEXOR), a five fingers 3D printed prototype actuated by linear actuators. FLEXOR was controlled using intended movement to support the independent exercises and to assist the ADLs movement. An Arduino-based control system driven by electromyography (EMG) signal was developed for FLEXOR. The new control system protected the hand against over-flexing and excessive application of force. The control system was programmed into three different operating modes which enable FLEXOR to provide passive exercises to the fingers, assist fingers in ADLs movement with minimal efforts, and provide active exercises while assisting fingers in ADLs.
Design and Development of a Bilateral Therapeutic Hand Device for Stroke Rehabilitation
International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 2013
The major cause of disability is stroke. It is the second highest cause of death after coronary heart disease in Australia. In this paper, a post stroke therapeutic device has been designed and developed for hand motor function rehabilitation that a stroke survivor can use for bilateral movement practice. A prototype of the device was fabricated that can fully flex and extend metacarpophalangeal (MCP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints of the fingers, and interphalangeal (IP), metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and trapeziometacarpal (TM) joints of the thumb of the left hand (impaired hand), based on movements of the right hand's (healthy hand) fingers. Out of 21 degrees of freedom (DOFs) of hand fingers, the prototype of the hand exoskeleton allowed fifteen degrees of freedom (DOFs), with three degrees of freedom (DOFs) for each finger and three degrees of freedom (DOFs) for the thumb. In addition, testing of the device on a healthy subject was conducted to validate the design requirements.
2014
The major cause of disability is stroke. It is the second highest cause of death after coronary heart disease in Australia. In this paper, a post stroke therapeutic device has been designed and developed for hand motor function rehabilitation that a stroke survivor can use for bilateral movement practice. A prototype of the device was fabricated that can fully flex and extend metacarpophalangeal (MCP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints of the fingers, and interphalangeal (IP), metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and trapeziometacarpal (TM) joints of the thumb of the left hand (impaired hand), based on movements of the right hand's (healthy hand) fingers. Out of 21 degrees of freedom (DOFs) of hand fingers, the prototype of the hand exoskeleton allowed fifteen degrees of freedom (DOFs), with three degrees of freedom (DOFs) for each finger and three degrees of freedom (DOFs) for the thumb. In addition, testing of the device on a healthy subject was condu...
IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2019
Robots have the potential to help provide exercise therapy in a repeatable and reproducible manner for stroke survivors. To facilitate rehabilitation of the wrist and fingers joint, an electromechanical exoskeleton was developed that simultaneously moves the wrist and metacarpophalangeal joints. The device was designed for the ease of manufacturing and maintenance, with specific considerations for countries with limited resources. Active participation of the user is ensured by the implementation of electromyographic control and visual feedback of performance. Muscle activity requirements, movement parameters, range of motion, and speed of the device can all be customized to meet the needs of the user. Twelve stroke survivors, ranging from the subacute to chronic phases of recovery (mean 10.6 months poststroke) participated in a pilot study with the device. Participants completed 20 sessions, each lasting 45 minutes. Overall, subjects exhibited statistically significant changes (p < 0.05) in clinical outcome measures following the treatment, with the Fugl-Meyer Stroke Assessment score for the upper extremity increasing from 36 to 50 and the Barthel Index increasing from 74 to 89. Active range of wrist motion increased by 19° while spasticity decreased from 1.75 to 1.29 on the Modified Ashworth Scale. Thus, this device shows promise for improving rehabilitation outcomes, especially for patients in countries with limited resources.
2021
Post-stroke sufferers will generally experience weakness on one side of the body, balance, vision, sensory, motor, and cognitive. In West Kalimantan, the estimated stroke sufferer in 2013 was 25,195 people. Based on data from the significant increase from January 2018 to December 2018 totaling 722 people. The research objective was to assess the effectiveness of the finger exoskeleton tool in simple motor therapy on the ability of the client's arm and han approach with a quasi-experimental design. Pre with two groups, which were the control group of 12 people and the intervention group of 12 people with finger exoskeleton tools. The statistical test used was the independent t test and paired t test. Measurement of muscle ability with the Action Research Arm Test. Analysis of the difference in total scores between before and after treatment in the intervent Paired T-Test obtained a p-value of 0.000 (p value <0.05) and in the control group using the Wilcoxon test a p-value of 0...
Stroke rehabilitation using exoskeleton-based robotic exercisers: Mini Review
Stroke is a debilitating disease that has afflicted millions of people throughout the world. Assisting physiotherapists in post-stroke activities to conduct rehabilitation therapies, scientific community has presented a new type of man-machine intelligent systems i.e. exoskeleton based exercisers. These devices help the patients having neurological disabilities to partially or fully regain their motor performance by applying forces to the affected finger phalanx and preventing unsuitable motion patterns. The exoskeletons because of their wide range of sensory capabilities have replaced traditional assessment of stroke patients. This article reviews developments in robotic prosthetics and exoskeletons. The primary design requirements of these devices are identified. Highlighting the authors' research achievements in this domain, a collection of exoskeleton-based hand rehabilitation devices has been then presented with a brief description about their mechanical designs. Finally, a...
IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 2000
Stroke patients often have flexor hypertonia and finger extensor weakness, which makes it difficult to open their affected hand for functional grasp. Because of this impairment, hand rehabilitation after stroke is essential for restoring functional independent lifestyles. The goal of this study is to develop a passive, lightweight, wearable device to assist with hand function during performance of activities of daily living. The device, Hand Spring Operated Movement Enhancer (HandSOME), assists with opening the patient's hand using a series of elastic cords that apply extension torques to the finger joints and compensates for the flexor hypertonia. Device design and calibration are described as well as functional and usability testing with stroke subjects with a wide range of hand impairments. In initial testing with eight stroke subjects with finger flexor hypertonia, use of the HandSOME significantly increased range of motion and functional ability . There was some decrease in grip strength with the HandSOME device at the subject's ideal setting, however this was not statistically significant and did not seem to have a significant effect on function. Overall HandSOME shows promise as a training tool to facilitate repetitive task practice for improving hand function in stroke patients. HandSOME can be used as part of a home-based therapy program, or as an orthotic for replacing lost function.
Robotics for rehabilitation of hand movement in stroke survivors
Advances in Mechanical Engineering
This article aims to give an overall review of research status in hand rehabilitation robotic technology, evaluating a number of devices. The main scope is to explore the current state of art to help and support designers and clinicians make better choices among varied devices and components. The review also focuses on both mechanical design, usability and training paradigms since these parts are interconnected for an effective hand recovery. In order to study the rehabilitation robotic technology status, the devices have been divided in two categories: end-effector robots and exoskeleton devices. The end-effector robots are more flexible than exoskeleton devices in fitting the different size of hands, reducing the setup time and increasing the usability for new patients. They suffer from the control of distal joints and haptic aspects of object manipulation. In this way, exoskeleton devices may represent a new opportunity. Nevertheless their design is complex and a deep investigation of hand biomechanics and physical human-robot interaction is required. The main hand exoskeletons have been developed in the last decade and the results are promising demonstrated by the growth of the commercialized devices. Finally, a discussion on the complexity to define which design is better and more effective than the other one is summarized for future investigations.