A Flexible Wearable Supernumerary Robotic Limb for Chronic Stroke Patients

Hongge Ru; WeiJian Gao; Weixuan Ou; Xingyue Yang; Andong Li; Zhongzheng Fu; Jun Huo; Bo Yang; Yanzhao Zhang; Xiling Xiao; Zhaohui Yang; Jian Huang

doi:10.3791/65917

Journal

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Engineering

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A Flexible Wearable Supernumerary Robotic Limb for Chronic Stroke Patients

JoVE Journal
Engineering

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JoVE Journal Engineering

A Flexible Wearable Supernumerary Robotic Limb for Chronic Stroke Patients

1,988 Views

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03:55 min

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October 27, 2023

DOI:

10.3791/65917-v

DOI:

10.3791/65917-v

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03:55 min

October 27, 2023

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14 Views

Hongge Ru¹, WeiJian Gao², Weixuan Ou², Xingyue Yang¹, Andong Li¹, Zhongzheng Fu¹, Jun Huo¹, Bo Yang¹, Yanzhao Zhang³, Xiling Xiao³, Zhaohui Yang³, Jian Huang¹

¹Key Laboratory for Image Processing and Intelligent Control of Education Ministry of China, School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation,Huazhong University of Science and Technology, ²School of Mechanical Science and Engineering,Huazhong University of Science and Technology, ³Wuhan Union Hospital,Huazhong University of Science and Technology Tongji Medical College First Clinical College Union Hospital

Transcript

Our research focuses on developing supernumerary robotic limbs to help hemiplegic patients with grasping movements. By employing flexible sensors, we aim to interpret patient’s intentions and enable robots to perform various grasping tasks, ultimately enhancing patient’s quality of life. This study introduces a novel, flexible, wearable robotic limb for chronic stroke patients.

It aids finger rehabilitation and gripping, featuring lightness, safety, compliance, waterproofing, and an impressive output to weight or pressure ratio. It offers envelope and fingertip grasping modes, maintains portability, and ensures user-friendly interaction. In our upcoming research, we will primarily concentrate on the domain of human-machine interaction control, specifically in the context of grasping intent among individuals afflicted by hemiplegia.

Additionally, a concrete research goal involves refining mechanical design to enhance grasping performance.

Summary

This protocol introduces a flexible wearable supernumerary robotic limb tailored to assist in finger rehabilitation for stroke patients. The design incorporates a bending sensor to facilitate seamless human-robot interaction. Validation through experiments involving both healthy volunteers and stroke patients underscores the efficacy and dependability of the proposed study.