Design and Development of a Wearable Exoskeleton System for Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract

For more than a decade, many countries have been actively developing robotic assistive devices to assist in the rehabilitation of individuals with limb disability to regain function in the extremities. The exoskeleton assistive device in this study has been designed primarily for hemiplegic stroke patients to aid in the extension of fingers to open up the palm to simulate the effects of rehabilitation. This exoskeleton was designed as an anterior-support type to achieve palmar extension and acts as a robotic assistive device for rehabilitation in bilateral upper limb task training. Testing results show that this wearable exoskeleton assistive device with human factor consideration using percentile dimensions can provide comfortable wear on patients as well as adequate torque to pull individual fingers into flexion towards the palm for rehabilitation. We hope this exoskeleton device can help stroke patients with loss of function in the upper extremities to resume motor activities in order to maintain activities of daily living.

AI-Driven Stroke Rehabilitation Systems and Assessment: A Systematic Review

“…These measures improved significantly, demonstrating the effectiveness of robot-assisted treatment. Ou et al [31] developed a wearable exoskeleton to allow more thumb joint mobility of stroke patients. However, no clinical evaluation of the exoskeleton was conducted.…”

3D Printing Technology for Smart Clothing: A Topic Review

“…Ou [ 93 ] designed a hand rehabilitation exoskeleton for stroke patients, as shown in Figure 7 , which can help patients straighten their fingers and open their palms to simulate spasm rehabilitation training. The device can assist the metacarpophalangeal joint and proximal interphalangeal joint of each finger to bend 0–70° and 0–90°, respectively.…”

“… Design and development of a wearable exoskeleton system for stroke rehabilitation. ( a ) and ( b ) are schematics of the exoskeleton; ( c ) schematic of simulated finger joint movement arc; ( d ) actual movements of each finger joint [ 93 ]. …”

Wearable Exoskeleton System for Energy Harvesting and Angle Sensing Based on a Piezoelectric Cantilever Generator Array

“…The wearable exoskeleton is an electromechanical device that applies torque and force to the joints to assist the movement of human limbs, which is inspired by arthropods. − A wearable exoskeleton system is generally composed of a mechanical structure, sensor, actuator, and control system, integrating the technologies in the fields of mechanical engineering, electronics, automation, biomedicine, and so on . The wearable exoskeleton was first applied in the military field to enhance soldiers’ physical strength and endurance. , With the gradual growth of medical demand, the medical exoskeleton has become an important research field, which has attracted great interest due to its excellent efficacy in rehabilitation therapy. , The exoskeleton rehabilitation system can carry out rehabilitation training for people with movement disorders such as a stroke, spinal cord injury, and brain trauma. − In addition, with the development of intelligent robots, the exoskeleton also plays an important role in man–machine interaction. ,, Whether applied to health rehabilitation or man–machine interaction, various sensors such as angle sensors, pressure sensors, and myoelectric sensors need to be used in exoskeleton systems to obtain the posture, speed, force, and other physiological information on the wearer, which means that additional energy input is required, increasing the power consumption, volume, mass, and cost of the equipment. Therefore, developing an energy conversion device that can harvest the energy of human motion or designing a self-powered sensor without needing an external power supply are promising strategies for the construction of wearable exoskeletal systems.…”