Design and Optimization of a Mechanism, Suitable for Finger Rehabilitation

Abstract

Due to demographic change and the aging of the population, diseases such as strokes are expected to increase over the years. In this situation, the medical sector is reaching its capacity limits, making any solution that takes over time-intensive treatments that can be standardised relevant for the future. In this paper, a mechanism for finger rehabilitation therapy is presented. After identifying the requirements, a detailed investigation of the current situation of hand rehabilitation devices is presented. A working prototype for fingers is designed and built to show the capabilities of the mechanism. It can be operated independently and is adaptable to different hand sizes. The prototype consists of a linear microdrive connected to the finger mechanism via Bowden cables. Additive manufacturing (AM) was mainly used as the production method. The prototype was successfully tested on four people with hands of different sizes. It allowed an actuation of 85 to 110° for all joints. Different settings of the Bowden cable allow the actuation of different sections of the finger. Different settings of the mechanism, actuator, control analysis and optimization are presented.