用于中风幸存者手部功能辅助的软机器人手套的设计与初步可行性研究

Design and Preliminary Feasibility Study of a Soft Robotic Glove for Hand Function Assistance in Stroke Survivors.

作者信息

Yap Hong Kai, Lim Jeong Hoon, Nasrallah Fatima, Yeow Chen-Hua

机构信息

Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.

出版信息

Front Neurosci. 2017 Oct 9;11:547. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00547. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Various robotic exoskeletons have been proposed for hand function assistance during activities of daily living (ADL) of stroke survivors. However, traditional exoskeletons involve the use of complex rigid systems that impede the natural movement of joints, and thus reduce the wearability and cause discomfort to the user. The objective of this paper is to design and evaluate a soft robotic glove that is able to provide hand function assistance using fabric-reinforced soft pneumatic actuators. These actuators are made of silicone rubber which has an elastic modulus similar to human tissues. Thus, they are intrinsically soft and compliant. Upon air pressurization, they are able to support finger range of motion (ROM) and generate the desired actuation of the finger joints. In this work, the soft actuators were characterized in terms of their blocked tip force, normal and frictional grip force outputs. Combining the soft actuators and flexible textile materials, a soft robotic glove was developed for grasping assistance during ADL for stroke survivors. The glove was evaluated on five healthy participants for its assisted ROM and grip strength. Pilot test was performed in two stroke survivors to evaluate the efficacy of the glove in assisting functional grasping activities. Our results demonstrated that the actuators designed in this study could generate desired force output at a low air pressure. The glove had a high kinematic transparency and did not affect the active ROM of the finger joints when it was being worn by the participants. With the assistance of the glove, the participants were able to perform grasping actions with sufficient assisted ROM and grip strength, without any voluntary effort. Additionally, pilot test on stroke survivors demonstrated that the patient's grasping performance improved with the presence and assistance of the glove. Patient feedback questionnaires also showed high level of patient satisfaction and comfort. In conclusion, this paper has demonstrated the possibility of using soft wearable exoskeletons that are more wearable, lightweight, and suitable to be used on a daily basis for hand function assistance of stroke survivors during activities of daily living.

摘要

针对中风幸存者日常生活活动(ADL)期间的手部功能辅助,人们提出了各种机器人外骨骼。然而,传统外骨骼使用的是复杂的刚性系统,会阻碍关节的自然运动,从而降低了可穿戴性,并给用户带来不适。本文的目的是设计并评估一种柔软的机器人手套,该手套能够使用织物增强的软气动致动器来提供手部功能辅助。这些致动器由硅橡胶制成,其弹性模量与人体组织相似。因此,它们本质上是柔软且柔顺的。在空气加压时,它们能够支撑手指的运动范围(ROM)并产生所需的手指关节驱动。在这项工作中,对软致动器的阻塞尖端力、法向和摩擦握力输出进行了表征。结合软致动器和柔性纺织材料,开发了一种用于中风幸存者ADL期间抓握辅助的柔软机器人手套。对五名健康参与者的手套辅助ROM和握力进行了评估。在两名中风幸存者身上进行了初步测试,以评估该手套在辅助功能性抓握活动方面的效果。我们的结果表明,本研究中设计的致动器能够在低气压下产生所需的力输出。该手套具有高运动透明度,参与者佩戴时不会影响手指关节的主动ROM。在手套的辅助下,参与者能够在没有任何自主努力的情况下,以足够的辅助ROM和握力进行抓握动作。此外,对中风幸存者的初步测试表明,有手套的存在和辅助时,患者的抓握性能有所改善。患者反馈问卷也显示出患者的高度满意度和舒适度。总之,本文证明了使用更具可穿戴性、轻便且适合在日常生活中用于中风幸存者手部功能辅助的柔软可穿戴外骨骼的可能性。

https://cdn.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/blobs/1f29/5640819/483f21adb6ce/fnins-11-00547-g0001.jpg

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