Finger Rehabilitation Robot Research Articles

Design and experimental study of a flexible finger rehabilitation robot driven by shape memory alloy

The importance of hand function is evident in daily human life. However, different degrees of hand motor impairments after damage caused by stroke and other nervous system diseases bring great trouble to patients’ daily life. For this reason, a flexible finger rehabilitation robot driven by shape memory alloy wire was proposed in this paper and was equipped with a range extender of shape memory alloy wire wiring. The structural design was optimized by exploring the movement mechanism of the finger joint to achieve the requirement of imitating the normal motion function of the human finger. Based on the driving model of the finger rehabilitation robot, the prototype was made and tested, in which the total weight of the prototype is 393 g. When the drive voltage is 20 V, the maximum joint angle that the finger rehabilitation robot can achieve is about 85% of that of healthy people, in addition, it can help patients grasp most of the daily objects successfully, and can meet the basic requirements of finger rehabilitation.

New Rehabilitation Assessment Method of the End-Effector Finger Rehabilitation Robot Based on Multi-Sensor Source.

In the process of rehabilitation, the objectivity and the accuracy of rehabilitation assessment have an obvious impact on the follow-up training. To improve this problem, using a multi-sensor source, this paper attempts to establish a comprehensive assessment method of the finger rehabilitation effect, including three indicators of finger muscle strength, muscle fatigue degree, and range of motion. Firstly, on the basis of the fingertip pressure sensor of the End-Effector Finger Rehabilitation Robot, a mathematical model of finger muscle strength estimation was established, and the estimated muscle strength was scored using the entropy weight method. Secondly, using an sEMG signal sensor, a fatigue monitoring system was designed in the training process, and the fatigue degree was determined on the basis of the change trend of the eigenvalues of MAV and RMS. Lastly, a human–machine motion coupling model was established, and the joint range of motion acquisition and scoring model were obtained on the basis of the motor encoder. According to the above three indicators, using the AHP assessment method to establish a comprehensive rehabilitation assessment method, the effectiveness of the method was verified by experiments. This paper provides a potential new idea and method for objective, accurate, and convenient assessment of finger function rehabilitation, which is of positive significance for alleviating the burden on rehabilitation doctors and improving rehabilitation efficiency.

Development of a finger rehabilitation robot based on sliding slot linkage mechanism

Rehabilitation training for stroke patients is a technical and social problem. A new type of pneumatic finger rehabilitation robot was presented based on sliding slot linkage mechanism. Through the analysis of the biological structure of the human hand, the sliding slot linkage mechanism with characteristics of combination drive, size adjustable and safety protection was developed. The detailed structure and control system of the finger rehabilitation robot were designed. Finite element analysis of the main parts and kinematic simulation of the mechanism were performed to verify the structural strength and motion feature of the finger rehabilitation robot, respectively. Finally, the prototype model of the sliding slot linkage mechanism was fabricated and a series motion tests were conducted. Results indicate that the finger rehabilitation robot is reliable and could satisfy the requirements of finger rehabilitation training.

Mechanical Design and Analysis of the End-Effector Finger Rehabilitation Robot (EFRR) for Stroke Patients

Most existing finger rehabilitation robots are structurally complex and cannot be adapted to multiple work conditions, such as clinical and home. In addition, there is a lack of attention to active adduction/abduction (A/A) movement, which prevents stroke patients from opening the joint in time and affects the rehabilitation process. In this paper, an end-effector finger rehabilitation robot (EFRR) with active A/A motion that can be applied to a variety of applications is proposed. First, the natural movement curve of the finger is analyzed, which is the basis of the mechanism design. Based on the working principle of the cam mechanism, the flexion/extension (F/E) movement module is designed and the details used to ensure the safety and reliability of the device are introduced. Then, a novel A/A movement module is proposed, using the components that can easily individualized design to achieve active A/A motion only by one single motor, which makes up for the shortcomings of the existing devices. As for the control system, a fuzzy proportional-derivative (PD) adaptive impedance control strategy based on the position information is proposed, which can make the device more compliant, avoid secondary injuries caused by excessive muscle tension, and protect the fingers effectively. Finally, some preliminary experiments of the prototype are reported, and the results shows that the EFRR has good performance, which lays the foundation for future work.

A novel End-effector Finger Rehabilitation Robot (EFRR) for stroke patients

This paper proposes a prototype of a novel end-traction finger rehabilitation robot with flexion/extension and adduction/abduction functions. The degree of freedom (DoF) and finger joint torque of a single-finger module has been analysed, and the calculation and selection of the motor driving force are completed. Finally, the design details of the mechanism and the hardware system of the robot are illustrated. This device minimized the mechanical size to some extent by using only one motor for a single finger, which also reduces the cost and increases the possibility of industrial application prospects.

Development of an active and passive finger rehabilitation robot using pneumatic muscle and magnetorheological damper

This paper presents the development of a finger rehabilitation robot (FRR) for active and passive training to fulfill the requirements of different rehabilitation stages. In the design, an antagonistic pair of pneumatic muscles (PMs) are utilized to exert a bidirectional force for passive training, and a controllable magnetorheological (MR) damper is used to provide a damping force for active training. In this paper, first, a detailed illustration of the mechanical design of the FRR, including the driving, transmission and actuating mechanisms, and the damping device, is presented. Subsequently, the kinematic analysis and simulation are described, followed by the static and dynamic analysis of the designed FRR. This paper details the static force transfer of the transmission mechanism, and the establishment of dynamic equations for the passive training system. Finally, an experimental set-up is established, and several passive and active training experiments are conducted for the performance evaluation of the FRR prototype. The results validate the feasibility and stability of the developed FRR.

Fuzzy sliding mode control of a wearable rehabilitation robot for wrist and finger

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce a new design for a finger and wrist rehabilitation robot. Furthermore, a fuzzy sliding mode controller has been designed to control the system.Design/methodology/approachFollowing an introduction regarding the hand rehabilitation, this paper discusses the conceptual and detailed design of a novel wrist and finger rehabilitation robot. The robot provides the possibility of rehabilitating each phalanx individually which is very important in the finger rehabilitation process. Moreover, due to the model uncertainties, disturbances and chattering in the system, a fuzzy sliding mode controller design method is proposed for the robot.FindingsWith the novel design for moving the DOFs of the system, the rehabilitation for the wrist and all phalanges of fingers is done with only two actuators which are combined in one device. These features make the system a good choice for home rehabilitation. To control the robot, a fuzzy sliding mode controller has been designed for the system. The fuzzy controller does not affect the coefficient of the sliding mode controller and uses the overall error of the system to make a control signal. Thus, the dependence of the controller to the model decreases and the system is more robust. The stability of the system is proved by the Lyapunov theorem.Originality/valueThe paper provides a novel design of a hand rehabilitation robot and a controller which is used to compensate the effects of the uncertain parameters and chattering phenomenon.

Research on mechanical design of a multi-function finger rehabilitation robot

Training with robots for injured fingers has achieved the efficacy of treatment. However, most of finger rehabilitation robots just have bending/extending movement. This paper presents a new multi-function finger rehabilitation robot with a simple mechanical structure, which could help fingers and thumb realize bending/extending movement and stretch/adduction movement. The paper firstly analyzes the hand physiological movement mechanism, confirming the motion range of each finger’s joint. Based on the fingers movement rules, the robot driving structure has been developed, which includes thumb training module and fingers training module and frame. In order to prove the rationality of mechanism design, an experiment was conducted. The experiment proved that the mechanism can run smoothly, and its rope wheels also drive well without skidding phenomenon as well as its tension is appropriate.

Mechanism and Control System Design of a Finger & Wrist Rehabilitation Robot

Taking advantage of rehabilitation robot to help to practice rehabilitation training has been a fashion trend. To mimic the training procedure on finger & wrist, in this paper, an intelligent rehabilitation is proposed. This robot combines the active and passive training together. And the robot can be used in the early rehabilitation. With the analysis of the physiological characters of finger and wrist, the humanlike model of finger and wrist joint was established, and the mechanism of finger and wrist rehabilitation robot is designed following the model. The position control experiments and the force control experiments were carried out to confirm the abilities of the proposed robot. All the results of the experiments lead to the worth of capabilities of this robot, and the technical value for the further research.

Mechanical Design and Simulation of a Finger Rehabilitation Robot

Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) has been confirmed as an effective clinical therapy for finger neurological rehabilitation. In this study a finger rehabilitation training robot is designed based on CPM rehabilitation theory. This paper presents the design and simulation of the finger rehabilitation robot. Based on the finger structure and movement trajectory analysis, OPTOTRAK CERTUS motion capture system is used to acquire trajectory parameters of normal human finger movement. Atlas method is employed to accomplish mechanism dimensional synthesis of the finger rehabilitation training robot. The feasibility of the mechanism is verified using a modeling and simulation method with SIMULINK software.

뇌졸중환자를 위한 직교형 4개 손가락 재활로봇 기구설계

This paper describes the design of a rectangular-type four-finger rehabilitation robot for flexibility rehabilitation of stroke patients' fingers and other patient's paralyzed fingers. The four-finger rehabilitation robot is composed of a body and each finger rehabilitation robot instrument. The four-finger rehabilitation robot could exercise four fingers (forefinger, middle finger ring finger and little finger) of patient for their rehabilitation. The four-finger rehabilitation robot instruments move according to the trace which spread out the patient's fingers and then turn them inward for the fingers' flexibility, while at the same time performing the force control with the reference forces for fingers' safety, simultaneously. A control characteristic test of the developed rectangular-type four-finger rehabilitation robot was carried out, and the results confirmed that the robot could be used for the flexibility rehabilitation exercise for the fingers of normal person and patients.

Development of a finger-rehabilitation robot for fingers’ flexibility rehabilitation exercise

This paper describes the development of a finger-rehabilitation robot for rehabilitating stroke patients’ fingers and other patient’s paralyzed fingers. The developed finger-rehabilitation robot is composed of a thumb-rehabilitation robot instrument and four finger-rehabilitation robot instruments. The finger-rehabilitation robot could exercise fingers of patient for their rehabilitation, and it is a flexibility rehabilitation exercise. The finger-rehabilitation robot instruments move according to the trace which spread out the patient’s fingers and then turn them inward for the fingers’ flexibility, while at the same time performing the force control with the reference forces for fingers’ safety. A control characteristic test of the developed finger-rehabilitation robot was carried out, and the result confirmed that the robot could be used for the flexibility rehabilitation exercise for the fingers of normal person and patients.

Magnetic resonance compatible hand rehabilitation robot

This paper presents the design, fabrication and evaluation of a magnetic resonance compatible finger rehabilitation robot, which can not only be used as a finger rehabilitation training tool after stroke, but also to study the brain’s recovery process during the rehabilitation therapy (ReT). The mechanics of this robot are designed to be adjustable to different persons’ finger phalanges, and also the gap between one finger to another can be easily changed. By using an ultrasonic motor as its actuator, it has been designed to be portable, with a high torque output. In addition, this robot also has been designed to overcome the intrinsic shortage of non-back drivability in ultrasonic motor, i.e., it can be used for both passive and active motion. The resulting system enables the patient to do extension and flexion rehabilitation exercises in two degrees of freedom (DOF) for each finger as well as one DOF motion on the thumb. Finally, experiments have been carried out to evaluate the performance of this robot.

뇌졸중 환자의 손가락 재활운동을 위한 손 및 손가락 고정장치 개발

This paper describes development of a hand and finger fixing system for the rehabilitation exercise of patient`s fingers. In order to exercise the finger rehabilitation using a finger rehabilitation robot, a patient`s hand or fingers are fixed safely. In this paper, The hand and fingers fixing system can safely fix stroke patient`s hand and fingers by pressing with force control system. The characteristic test of the system was carried out. It is thought that the system could be used for fixing their fingers in stroke patient`s finger rehabilitation exercise.