Abstract
Rehabilitation Robotics involves the use of robotic systems as an enabling technology for people with kinetic problems, in order to help them recover from a physical trauma. This paper presents the investigation of a robotic system for stroke and post hand-surgery patient rehabilitation, in order to gradually regain flexibility in their finger-joints by passively extending and flexing their fingers. It includes one linear actuator for each finger and a thin-film force sensor at each fingertip as a safety measure against overstraining the finger-joints. Prior to designing the system, kinematic and dynamic models of a human hand have been derived and simulated in MATLAB. Data obtained from this model show a strong correlation to natural human hand movements, recorded in this study using a 6 DoF motion capture system. Design of the robotic system is performed using UGS NX6 software.
Highlights
Hands are the basic tool for physically manipulating the environment
Hand therapy has a crucial role in the recovery from hand injuries or surgical operations[3]
Range of Motion (ROM) activities are basic techniques that focus on motor control for evaluation of the movement as well as for therapy
Summary
Hands are the basic tool for physically manipulating the environment. After a stroke, gripping a glass or opening the fists is typically too hard to achieve. Stroke is the 2nd most common cause of death[1], [2] and the leading cause of severe adult disability worldwide. For those who survive, the recovery of neurological impairment takes place over a variable time interval. Hand therapy has a crucial role in the recovery from hand injuries or surgical operations[3]. The major disadvantage of home-based rehabilitation programs is a lack of specialised equipment. Easy-to-use domestic devices that help patients regain movement in their hands would constitute a huge step towards the direction of home-based rehabilitation. Using them either as a complementary method to the regular treatment or as the primary one would result in a faster recovery
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