HandMATE: Wearable Robotic Hand Exoskeleton and Integrated Android App for At Home Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract

We have developed HandMATE (Hand Movement Assisting Therapy Exoskeleton); a wearable motorized hand exoskeleton for home-based movement therapy following stroke. Each finger and the thumb is powered by a linear actuator which provides flexion and extension assistance. Force sensitive resistors integrated into the design measure grasp and extension initiation force. An assistive therapy mode is based on an admittance control strategy. We evaluated our control system via subject and bench testing. Errors during a grip force tracking task while using the HandMATE were minimal (<1%) and comparable to unassisted healthy hand performance. We also outline a dedicated app we have developed for optimal use of HandMATE at home. The exoskeleton communicates wirelessly with an Android tablet which features guided exercises, therapeutic games and performance feedback. We surveyed 5 chronic stroke patients who used the HandMATE device to further evaluate our system, receiving positive feedback on the exoskeleton and integrated app.

Clinical Test of a Wearable, High DOF, Spring Powered Hand Exoskeleton (HandSOME II)

“…Passive spring-based designs, such as HandSOME II, are more compact and lighter than actuated devices. Furthermore, without the need for air compressors [26,27], electric motors [28][29][30][31], this wearable device has advantages for take-home use, allowing subjects the option to use the device during activities of daily living. A limitation of our passive device is that assistance is only provided to extension movements.…”

“…Patients must also be able to relax the flexor muscles after a grasp, in order for the springs to move the fingers into extension. In these cases, active devices such as HandMATE [31], Maestro [32], X-Glove [14] might be more effective for hand rehabilitation by providing assistive forces to close and open the hand. Another design limitation of our current device is the isolated assistance for the hand with no assistance for the rest of the upper limb.…”

Robotic Home-Based Rehabilitation Systems Design: From a Literature Review to a Conceptual Framework for Community-Based Remote Therapy During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Addressing this issue, Sandison et al built a wearable motorized hand exoskeleton, HandMATE, upon HandSOME. This device benefits from 3D printing technology for manufacturing the components; hence it can be optimally adjustable and customizable to fit the patients’ physiological parameters ( Sandison et al, 2020 ). Combining hand orthosis with serious gaming, Ghasemi et al have integrated eXtention Glove (X-Glove) actuated glove orthosis with a VR system to augment home-based hand therapy.…”

Pilot Test of Dosage Effects in HEXORR II for Robotic Hand Movement Therapy in Individuals With Chronic Stroke

“…Each approach has advantages and disadvantages. Wearable devices can be used during whole upper extremity tasks, such as reach and grasp tasks, and can take the form of active (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20) or passive exoskeletons (21)(22)(23)(24), with a growing emphasis on soft robotics (25). However, because of space and weight constraints in wearable devices, movement kinematics and control algorithms can often be more precise and sophisticated with desktop devices that isolate finger movements, but don't allow use of the hand with objects or in conjunction with proximal arm joints (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33).…”