A Novel Soft Robotic Exoskeleton System for Hand Rehabilitation and Assistance Purposes

Abstract

During the last decade, soft robotic systems, such as actuators and grippers, have been employed in various commercial applications. Due to the need to integrate robotic mechanisms into devices operating alongside humans, soft robotic systems concentrate increased scientific interest in tasks with intense human–robot interaction, especially for human-exoskeleton applications. Human exoskeletons are usually utilized for assistance and rehabilitation of patients with mobility disabilities and neurological disorders. Towards this direction, a fully functional soft robotic hand exoskeleton system was designed and developed, utilizing innovative air-pressurized soft actuators fabricated via additive manufacturing technologies. The CE-certified system consists of a control glove that copies the motion from the healthy hand and passes the fingers configuration to the exoskeleton applied on the affected hand, which consists of a soft exoskeleton glove (SEG) controlled with the assistance of one-axis flex sensors, micro-valves, and a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller. Each finger of the SEG moves independently due to the finger-dedicated motion control system. Furthermore, the real-time monitoring and control of the fabricated SEG are conducted via the developed software. In addition, the efficiency of the exoskeleton system was investigated through an experimental validation procedure with the involvement of healthy participants (control group) and patients, which evaluated the efficiency of the system, including safety, ergonomics, and comfort in its usage.

Soft pneumatic muscles for post-stroke lower limb ankle rehabilitation: leveraging the potential of soft robotics to optimize functional outcomes

“…The general formula for hyperelastic material models is represented by Eq. 1 ( Rudd et al, 2019 ; Kladovasilakis et al, 2023 ): …”

“…Furthermore, developing a supernumerary robotic limb represents a significant advancement in mitigating injuries and alleviating joint load in the upper limb for workers. The empirical findings highlight the potential of this system to improve worker safety, minimize work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and optimize workplace ergonomics, thus contributing to the wellbeing and productivity of individuals in occupational settings ( Rudd et al, 2019 ; Ciullo et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2021 ; Kladovasilakis et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Moreover, a lightweight and user-friendly soft robotic exoskeleton system has shown remarkable effectiveness in enhancing hand dexterity and providing valuable assistance during rehabilitation. Integrating soft robotic components in this system contributes to its user-friendly nature and ability to optimize hand movements ( Kladovasilakis et al, 2023 ). The positive outcomes observed in the application of this system further validate its potential as an integral tool for hand rehabilitation.…”

OrthoHand Extend: Design, Modeling and Evaluation of a Simple Wrist-Hand Stretching Orthosis for Neurologically Impaired Patients

“…Many WHOs (wrist hand orthoses) have been developed, but most of them [9][10][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] are for assistance rather than therapy. They come in limited sizing, can be difficult for subjects to don (independently or not) and the dynamic ones often pull rather than push the fingers (which can cause tendon issues).…”

Development of Heart-Like Structure Employing Additive Manufacturing Technologies

“…The extensive research and the rapid developments of Additive manufacturing (AM) technology in the recent years have led to its utilization as a fabrication technique in a plethora of industrial sectors, such as medical, biomechanical, automotive, etc. [1,2,3]. In particular, the employment of multi-material 3D printing techniques provides the ability to construct 3D models with tissue-like materials.…”