Design and characterization of a lightweight underactuated RACA hand exoskeleton for neurorehabilitation

Abstract

The spread of the use of robotic devices in neuro-rehabilitation therapies requires the availability of lightweight, easy-to-use, cost-effective and versatile systems. RobHand has been designed with these goals in mind. It is a hand exoskeleton especially suitable for patients suffering from spasticity in the fingers since it is easy to place in the hand and, from an underactuated design, allows both flexion and extension of the fingers. In this work, the structural characteristics, the mechanical design and the development and validation of the kinematic model of the device are presented, all of which has been carried out taking into account the recommendations of the new IEC 80601-2-78 standard, which formalizes the concept of RACA (Rehabilitation, Assessment, Compensation, Alleviation) robot and addresses aspects of efficiency and safety, essential in this type of equipment.