Defining the design requirements for an assistive powered hand exoskeleton

Qa, Boser; Mr, Dawson; Js, Schofield; Dziwenko, Gwen; Hebert, Jacqueline S.

doi:10.1101/492124

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In daily use of wearable assistive devices, wearers require the entire device to be lightweight to move around freely and profit from its assistance over several hours without causing discomfort or fatigue. Furthermore, the wearable assistive device should be compact and low profile to allow wearing clothing over it when going outside (Boser et al, 2018). High power density is required to reduce the mass and the volume of the RAS.…”

Section: Power Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the application of the hand exoskeleton, bending angles of 135 ± 45 • can be expected in daily grasping tasks, assuming the cable to be routed along the arm from the back to the hand (Desmurget et al, 1995;Butler et al, 2010). Ergonomics and appearance are further essential requirements (3) that are decisive for device acceptance by users (Boser et al, 2018). In that sense, the entire RAS is required to be water-and dustproof, nonobstructive to not restrict the user's movements, and easy to handle by a user with unilateral or bilateral arm/hand impairment.…”

Section: Quantitative Design Requirements and Selection Of Ras Principlementioning

confidence: 99%

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Remote Actuation Systems for Fully Wearable Assistive Devices: Requirements, Selection, and Optimization for Out-of-the-Lab Application of a Hand Exoskeleton

et al. 2021

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Wearable robots assist individuals with sensorimotor impairment in daily life, or support industrial workers in physically demanding tasks. In such scenarios, low mass and compact design are crucial factors for device acceptance. Remote actuation systems (RAS) have emerged as a popular approach in wearable robots to reduce perceived weight and increase usability. Different RAS have been presented in the literature to accommodate for a wide range of applications and related design requirements. The push toward use of wearable robotics in out-of-the-lab applications in clinics, home environments, or industry created a shift in requirements for RAS. In this context, high durability, ergonomics, and simple maintenance gain in importance. However, these are only rarely considered and evaluated in research publications, despite being drivers for device abandonment by end-users. In this paper, we summarize existing approaches of RAS for wearable assistive technology in a literature review and compare advantages and disadvantages, focusing on specific evaluation criteria for out-of-the-lab applications to provide guidelines for the selection of RAS. Based on the gained insights, we present the development, optimization, and evaluation of a cable-based RAS for out-of-the-lab applications in a wearable assistive soft hand exoskeleton. The presented RAS features full wearability, high durability, high efficiency, and appealing design while fulfilling ergonomic criteria such as low mass and high wearing comfort. This work aims to support the transfer of RAS for wearable robotics from controlled lab environments to out-of-the-lab applications.

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Section: Power Densitymentioning

confidence: 99%