Development and Evaluation of Fiber Reinforced Modular Soft Actuators and an Individualized Soft Rehabilitation Glove

Kokubu, Shota; Vinocour, Pablo E. Tortós; Yu, Wenwei

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22216-0_10

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…For the flexion mechanism, we utilized a pre-existing modular elastomeric soft actuator developed in our previous research [4], [18]. This actuator is specifically engineered to facilitate the flexion of an individual joint.…”

Section: B Modular Soft Actuatormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…I N the field of hand rehabilitation, soft rehabilitation gloves have recently gained significant traction. Particularly noteworthy is the emergence of soft pneumatic actuators crafted from elastomeric materials, which have found extensive application in rehabilitation gloves [1]- [4]. Owing to their inherent viscoelastic properties, these elastomeric materials confer safety, biocompatibility, and portability upon the actuators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…on the actuation of simple flexion movements for the entire finger, a pressing need remains for joint-specific customization and motion support. Given that patients with paralysis often exhibit limited joint ROM and variable joint stiffness, the imperative for individualized active support in hand rehabilitation is clear [4], [10]. Importantly, these biomechanical constraints can differ even among the joints of a single patient, necessitating a nuanced approach to therapeutic support [11]- [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1). Various designs, including fabric-based, bellows-based, and fiberreinforced elastomer-based actuators, have been developed to facilitate individualized adaptations [4], [15]- [18]. These modular units, connected through 3D-printed components, offer ease of personalization [17], [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bidirectional Support for Individual Finger Joints in Soft Rehabilitation Gloves: Integration of Foldable Pouch Actuators With Modular Elastomeric Actuators

Kokubu,

Tortós Vinocour,

2024

IEEE Access

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In recent years, a proliferation of soft actuators tailored for hand rehabilitation has been observed. In particular, modular soft actuators have garnered particular interest due to their capacity for individual customization and joint-specific support, a feature often lacking in whole-finger soft actuators. Despite these advancements, a significant limitation persists: the majority of these actuators facilitate only finger flexion, neglecting the equally vital extension movements required for comprehensive hand rehabilitation. Traditional approaches to achieving multi-degree-of-freedom or bidirectional motion have relied on the integration of multiple chambers within soft actuators. However, this strategy has proven impractical for modular soft actuators, primarily due to spatial constraints within the finger joint. To address this challenge, we introduce a foldable pouch actuator (FPA). Designed as a flat, foldable structure composed of a single sheet, the FPA expands solely upon pressurization, generating the requisite force for finger extension. Notably, the FPA seamlessly integrates with existing modular soft actuators without compromising their structural integrity or functional capabilities, thereby enabling bidirectional support for individual joints. Evaluations using a synthetic finger model achieved a joint flexion torque of 0.17 Nm and estimated an overall extension torque of 0.12 Nm. These advancements were accomplished without compromising the traditional flexion functionality, adding individual joint extension support to the existing capabilities. This study constitutes a substantive leap forward in the utilization of soft actuators for clinical hand rehabilitation applications.INDEX TERMS soft robotics, soft actuator, hand rehabilitation, finger-motion assistance, active extension support, bidirectional support.While initial research efforts have primarily concentrated

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Section: B Modular Soft Actuatormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bidirectional Support for Individual Finger Joints in Soft Rehabilitation Gloves: Integration of Foldable Pouch Actuators With Modular Elastomeric Actuators

Kokubu,

Tortós Vinocour,

2024

IEEE Access

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“…In [37] the moulding methods are classified as retractable pin based, lamination based, and lost-wax-based methods. A sort of laboratory soft actuator is made by casting soft material in moulds, and reinforcing them by inserting strings [38,39]. The strings are often twisted into repeating shapes to yield different motions [40,41].…”

Section: Technical Scope Of Soft Roboticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Medical Robots and Probes: Concise Survey of Current Advances

Sayahkarajy,

Witte

2023

Design, Construction, Maintenance

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Soft robotics has emerged as a new branch of robotics gaining huge research interest in recent decades. Owning intrinsic advantages such as compliance and safety, soft robots are closely associated with the medical requirements of medical robots. This review is written to overview advances in the medical applications of soft robots, either for readers primarily familiar with traditional medical systems, or for researchers planning to develop soft robots for medical applications. Recent publications related to soft medical robots were reviewed to represent the state’, ’of’, ’the’, ’art advances in this field. The review tends to compress the scope to trunk’, ’shaped soft robots and appraise the status of soft robots and their distance from clinical use. Several papers related to the construction and capabilities of soft robots were referenced. Roughly 190 related articles published in the current period from 2018 to the publication date (representing almost 90% of the references to the theme totally identified) were reviewed. Structure of soft robots, advances in technology, and the aptitudes in medical applications were discussed. The trunk’, ’like soft robots conspicuously are proposed for applications including robot assisted surgery where a probe is inserted into the human body. Such robots are also present in other medical robots as actuators. The literature shows that different methods are used to fabricate soft robots and employ them in different robotics tasks including positioning, grasping, and force exertion. Noticeably, such studies were done in robotics laboratories, dealing with robotics engineering problems. This review suggests that the technology is actively developing, but further focus on specific medical applications is required to fill the gap between soft robotics and its clinical use.

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Deriving Design Rules for Personalization of Soft Rehabilitation Gloves

Kokubu,

Nishimura,

2024

IEEE Access

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Soft actuators developed for hand rehabilitation show promise, but their practical application requires addressing individual differences and establishing suitable design rules. While joint modular soft actuators offer flexibility for diverse hand dimensions, existing performance validations have only examined a limited number of actuator sizes and neglected crucial factors like joint alignment. Customization efforts have lacked standardization, relying on a trial-and-error approach. Therefore, this study systematically evaluates the impact of actuator design parameters (size and mounting position) on joint range of motion (ROM) and torque, proposing novel design rules based on linear optimization. Experimental assessments, conducted on dummy fingers emulating human biomechanics, provide profound insights into the intricate interplay of design parameters and support performance. The findings strongly advocate maintaining a reference position for stable support, irrespective of actuator size, emphasizing the need to align the actuator with the joint center. The proposed design rules incorporate user-specific finger information, offering customized design rules. Proportionate actuator lengths to single-phalangeal length (PsPL), Proportionate actuator lengths to multi-phalangeal length (PmPL), Proportionate actuator lengths to Range of Motion (PROM), and the Traditional Method are systematically compared. Assistive performances (ROM and torque) and trajectory analysis reveal that the PsPL-designed actuator exhibits the most stable and natural assistive performance. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding actuator deformations for personalized adaptation, providing valuable insights for advancements in assistive and rehabilitative technologies.INDEX TERMS soft robotics, soft actuator, hand rehabilitation, finger-motion assistance, personalization, individual differences, and design rules I. INTRODUCTION

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Development and Evaluation of Fiber Reinforced Modular Soft Actuators and an Individualized Soft Rehabilitation Glove

Cited by 3 publications

References 9 publications

Bidirectional Support for Individual Finger Joints in Soft Rehabilitation Gloves: Integration of Foldable Pouch Actuators With Modular Elastomeric Actuators

Bidirectional Support for Individual Finger Joints in Soft Rehabilitation Gloves: Integration of Foldable Pouch Actuators With Modular Elastomeric Actuators

Soft Medical Robots and Probes: Concise Survey of Current Advances

Deriving Design Rules for Personalization of Soft Rehabilitation Gloves

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