Assistive Hand Exoskeletons: The Prototypes Evolution at the University of Florence

Abstract

Robotic assistance to hand-impaired people represents an as difficult as important challenge. In this context, the research work of the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence (UNIFI) led to a tailor-made wearable device for rehabilitative and assistive purposes. In this paper, the synthesis of the development process, sequentially ordered, is given.

sEMG-based Control Strategy for a Hand Exoskeleton System

“…F rom the study of the strengths and weaknesses of the mechanical design process that has led to the production of the first HES prototype, the ergonomic, kinematic and dynamic study of the coupling between the hand and the exoskeleton has undergone significant improvements. Over the years, these improvements have resulted in an evolutionary process that has not only radically changed the appearance and equipment of the device [98,99], but has also made it considerably easy to adapt the exoskeleton to the most diverse hand sizes, including those of children [100,101]. The wise choice of the production process of the various components -carried out by additive manufacturing in ABS -has also made the replacement of broken or old parts cheap and quick.…”

Wearable Robots: An Original Mechatronic Design of a Hand Exoskeleton for Assistive and Rehabilitative Purposes

“…This research activity has always aimed to develop an easily wearable, small, lightweight, safe, and low-cost robotic device for users with impaired hands. The HES prototype presented in detail in this study results from the evolution of three previous versions (Secciani et al, 2018 ). The overall architecture key points have had no changes: It has always been based on single-phalanx, single-DOF, rigid, and cable-driven finger mechanisms, acting on all the finger, except for the thumb.…”

“…The research activities of the Mechatronics and Dynamic Modeling Laboratory (MDM Lab) at the Department of Industrial Engineering (DIEF) at the University of Florence (UNIFI) have been focusing on wearable devices since 2013. The research team has developed several versions of a HES (Secciani et al, 2018 ), whose primary purpose is to assist users in ADLs. More strict requirements for the assistance aim led to this choice.…”