UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

AirExGlove — A novel pneumatic exoskeleton glove for adaptive hand rehabilitation in post-stroke patients

Stilli, A; Cremoni, A; Bianchi, M; Ridolf, A; Gerli, F; Vannetti, F; Wurdemann, HA; ... Althoefer, K; + view all (2018) AirExGlove — A novel pneumatic exoskeleton glove for adaptive hand rehabilitation in post-stroke patients. In: Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft). (pp. pp. 579-584). IEEE: Livorno, Italy. Green open access

[thumbnail of ROSO18_0084_FI.pdf]
Preview
Text
ROSO18_0084_FI.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide: post-stroke disabilities affect the upper and lower limbs, significantly undermining a subject's autonomy in the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Among post-stroke disabilities, one of the most impairing and widespread conditions is the clenched fist deformity: the subject experiences a permanent contraction of the hand, resulting in a closed hand rest pose. In this paper, the authors propose a novel light-weight inflatable soft exoskeleton device, called the AirExGlove, to deliver high-dosage, adaptive and gradual rehabilitation therapy to patients affected by clenched fist deformity. Our system is lightweight, low-cost, adaptable to any hand size and unobtrusive. The system has been extensively tested to assess the hand-opening range in which it can operate according to the severity of the patient condition, which is typically ranked on the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) scale. Experimental analysis demonstrates the suitability of the glove for patients affected by post-stroke muscle spasticity scoring up to 3 out of 4 in the MAS scale. Preliminary testing with clenched-fist patient confirmed a higher level of ergonomics of the system in comparison with rigid-linked robotic systems.

Type: Proceedings paper
Title: AirExGlove — A novel pneumatic exoskeleton glove for adaptive hand rehabilitation in post-stroke patients
Event: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)
ISBN-13: 978-1-5386-4516-1
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1109/ROBOSOFT.2018.8405388
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1109/ROBOSOFT.2018.8405388
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Tendons, Thumb, Fabrics, Exoskeletons, Pneumatic actuators, Force
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Med Phys and Biomedical Eng
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10044466
Downloads since deposit
671Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item