Exoskeleton Hand for Rehabilitation
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Joel Perry (Mentor), University of Idaho; and Dr. Eric Wolbrecht (Mentor), University of Idaho
Abstract
There are 795,000 strokes in the United States per year, leading to long-term impairment of the arm and hand in about 1 out of 3 cases. While the opportunity for rehabilitation is best in the three months following the stroke, arm and hand function may be improved with appropriate physical movements at any point. This project explores the development of an exoskeleton to assist in opening and closing the hand using lightweight natural rubber springs, low-stretch cable, and custom wrapping cam profiles. A series of points that represent the cam surface are generated using a MATLAB script, where inputs include the desired assistive force curve and spring characteristics. The resulting cam profiles are imported to SolidWorks to create a 3D model. The cam is printed using additive manufacturing and tested for consistency with the MATLAB script. Inputs to the model allow customization of the assistive profile to the needs of the user. The level of assistance can be further altered by adding or removing springs. The design will be evaluated on individuals with hand impairment during completion of standard assessment tasks with and without exoskeleton assistance.
Exoskeleton Hand for Rehabilitation
There are 795,000 strokes in the United States per year, leading to long-term impairment of the arm and hand in about 1 out of 3 cases. While the opportunity for rehabilitation is best in the three months following the stroke, arm and hand function may be improved with appropriate physical movements at any point. This project explores the development of an exoskeleton to assist in opening and closing the hand using lightweight natural rubber springs, low-stretch cable, and custom wrapping cam profiles. A series of points that represent the cam surface are generated using a MATLAB script, where inputs include the desired assistive force curve and spring characteristics. The resulting cam profiles are imported to SolidWorks to create a 3D model. The cam is printed using additive manufacturing and tested for consistency with the MATLAB script. Inputs to the model allow customization of the assistive profile to the needs of the user. The level of assistance can be further altered by adding or removing springs. The design will be evaluated on individuals with hand impairment during completion of standard assessment tasks with and without exoskeleton assistance.