A soft wearable exoglove for rehabilitation assistance: a novel application of knitted shape-memory alloy as a flexible actuator

Abstract

We developed the knitted shape-memory alloy (SMA) as a flexible actuator and applied it to a soft wearable exoglove for rehabilitation assistance. Based on user needs and anthropometric data, we custom-designed the exoglove for three hemiplegic patients using the knitted-SMA actuator and evaluated its bending performance, gripping force and wearability under the four simulation conditions (S1–S4). To address the specific needs, both SMA plain- and double-knit modules were applied to the exoglove based on the patients’ finger joint range of motion (ROMs). The joint ROMs of all fingers increased by 13.71% and the skin temperature increased by 2.21 °C after actuating the glove (p = 0.006). The gripping force increased as much as 55.01%, when compared to the baseline. All patients were able to don and doff the developed glove independently, and positively evaluated their subjective satisfaction and thermal perception. The findings suggested the potential of the knitted SMA for the future development of soft wearable robots.