A wearable soft robot for movement assistance on eyelid closure

Abstract

We present a facial wearable robot to support eyelid movement for patients with hemifacial paralysis. People with facial paralysis are not able to blink, which leads to dry eyes and could cause permanent damage to the cornea. To address this issue, we developed a robotic system to support eyelid movement on the paralyzed side based on voluntary eyelid movement on the healthy side. The robot has a novel mechanism for supporting eyelid movement and is made from soft material, which we call the eyelid gating mechanism (ELGM). We defined the requirements for eyelid manipulation. Then, we introduced design rules for the ELGM based on this definition, and conducted a deformation analysis. As a result, we could control deformation so that it is tailored to eyelid movement with simple rotational input at two hinged ends. This system provides appropriate support for eyelid movement in a non-invasive and gentle manner, based on voluntary eyelid movement on the healthy side. In this paper, we present a performance evaluation of the developed ELGM and the wearable facial robot. We confirm that ELGM could aid eyelid closure in 8 out of 10 patients. Further, we find that the time lag between eyelid closure detection and completion was 236.9 ± 19.4 ms. which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Enhanced Ionic Polymer–Metal Composites with Nanocomposite Electrodes for Restoring Eyelid Movement of Patients with Ptosis

“…We used enhanced IPMC with nanocomposite electrodes as an actuator under two different mechanisms including models A and B to restore eyelid movement of patients with ptosis ( Figure 1 a,b). The importance and necessity of force and displacement in eyelid movement evaluation were shown in previous studies [ 11 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. COMSOL Multiphysics (version 5.3; COMSOL, Inc., Burlington, MA, USA) was used for geometrical modeling, mesh generation, and finite element analysis (FEA) to calculate output forces, displacements, von Mises stresses, and cation concentrations in IPMCs.…”

“…Based on the actual curvature shape of the eyelid, two curvature IPMC strips were designed in model B for direct movement of the eyelids without needing a sling ( Figure 1 b and Figure 2 b). The general pattern and mechanisms of model B were inspired by the mechanism of wearable robots in a study by Kozaki et al and direct eyelid movement by an SMA actuator in a study by Mazza et al [ 11 , 14 ]. The inlet voltage in model B was able to produce linear displacement in the normal physiological range (3–6.5 mm [ 15 ]) in IPMCs with nanocomposite electrodes was .…”

“…These implants are passive and cannot necessarily open and close eyelids to blink independently. Kozaki et al suggested a wearable robot with rigid actuators to support eyelid movement in patients with ptosis [ 11 ]. Wearable robots are not user-friendly models due to their inadequate flexibility and high weight [ 12 ].…”

Understanding and supporting wearable technologies for freedivers

“…Those drawbacks can be large. As Kozaki et al outlined, they use a fairly simple design, to analyse if the eye is opened or closed [82], [83]. If this system would be adapted and made more complex, the possible eye movements which can be tracked will increase.…”