A bidirectional fabric-based soft robotic glove for hand function assistance in patients with chronic stroke

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation

Research

Daniel Yuan-Lee Lim¹  Hwa-Sen Lai¹  Raye Chen-Hua Yeow² 

[1] Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;Evolution Innovation Lab, Advanced Robotics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA;

关键词: Soft robotics;    Chronic stroke;    Activities of daily living;    Assistive device;    Fabric-based actuator;    Case Series;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12984-023-01250-4

 received in 2022-11-02, accepted in 2023-09-13,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundChronic stroke patients usually experience reduced hand functions, impeding their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) independently. Additionally, improvements in hand functions by physical therapy beyond six months after the initial onset of stroke are much slower than in the earlier months. As such, chronic stroke patients could benefit from an assistive device to enhance their hand functions, allowing them to perform ADLs independently daily. In recent years, soft robotics has provided a novel approach to assistive devices for motor impaired individuals, offering more compliant and lightweight alternatives to traditional robotic devices. The scope of this study is to demonstrate the viability of a fabric-based soft robotic (SR) glove with bidirectional actuators in assisting chronic stroke study participants with hand impairments in performing ADLs.MethodsForce and torque measurement tests were conducted to characterize the SR Glove, and hand functional tasks were given to eight chronic stroke patients to assess the efficacy of the SR Glove as an assistive device. The tasks involved object manipulation tasks that simulate ADLs, and the series of tasks was done by the participants once without assistance for baseline data, and once while using the SR Glove. A usability questionnaire was also given to each participant after the tasks were done to gain insight into how the SR Glove impacts their confidence and reliance on support while performing ADLs.ResultsThe SR Glove improved the participants’ manipulation of objects in ADL tasks. The difference in mean scores between the unassisted and assisted conditions was significant across all participants. Additionally, the usability questionnaire showed the participants felt more confident and less reliant on support while using the SR Glove to perform ADLs than without the SR Glove.ConclusionsThe results from this study demonstrated that the SR Glove is a viable option to assist hand function in chronic stroke patients who suffer from hand motor impairments.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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