Hand rehabilitation after stroke using a wearable, high DOF, spring powered exoskeleton | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore

Hand rehabilitation after stroke using a wearable, high DOF, spring powered exoskeleton


Abstract:

Stroke patients often have inappropriate finger flexor activation and finger extensor weakness, which makes it difficult to open their affected hand for functional grasp....Show More

Abstract:

Stroke patients often have inappropriate finger flexor activation and finger extensor weakness, which makes it difficult to open their affected hand for functional grasp. The goal was to develop a passive, lightweight, wearable device to enable improved hand function during performance of activities of daily living. The device, HandSOME II, assists with opening the patient's hand using 11 elastic actuators that apply extension torques to finger and thumb joints. Device design and initial testing are described. A novel mechanical design applies forces orthogonal to the finger segments despite the fact that all of the device DOFs are not aligned with human joint DOF. In initial testing with seven stroke subjects with impaired hand function, use of HandSOME II significantly increased maximum extension angles and range of motion in all of the index finger joints (P<;0.05). HandSOME II allows performance of all the grip patterns used in daily activities and can be used as part of home-based therapy programs.
Date of Conference: 16-20 August 2016
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 18 October 2016
ISBN Information:

ISSN Information:

PubMed ID: 28324934
Conference Location: Orlando, FL, USA

Contact IEEE to Subscribe

References

References is not available for this document.