The SoftHand Pro-H: A Hybrid Body-Controlled, Electrically Powered Hand Prosthesis for Daily Living and Working

Piazza, Cristina; Catalano, Manuel G.; Godfrey, Sasha Blue; Rossi, Matteo; Grioli, Giorgio; Bianchi, Matteo; Zhao, Kristin D.; Bicchi, Antonio

doi:10.1109/mra.2017.2751662

Cited by 34 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Main results currently achieved in applied neuroscience include the clarification of the theory of sensorimotor synergies in rehabilitation ( [2]), and the development of novel algorithms for eliciting synergy-inspired control of robotic aids from brain-machine interfaces. The SoftPro project is further pursuing the concept of soft-synergy based hand prostheses (the SoftHand Pro, [3]), currently being tested at a wide range of international facilities, at a pre-marketable state (TRL8). New tools for the assessment of effectiveness of robot-enabled prostheses and assistive devices include the maturation of the Virtual Peg Insertion Test, the development and application of force/torque based [4], intrinsic tactile sensing techniques to measure grasping and manipulative forces with tools such as instrumented objects and the Thim-bleSense [5].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The SoftPro Project: Synergy-Based Open-Source Technologies for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation

Piazza

Catalano

Bianchi

et al. 2018

Biosystems &Amp; Biorobotics

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Robotics-enabled technologies for assistive and rehabilitative applications have gained an increasing attention, both in academic and industrial research settings, as a promising solution for human sensory-motor system recovery. However, many constraints remain that limit their effective employment in everyday-life, mainly related to cost, usability and users' acceptance. The Softpro project proposes to completely reverse such paradigm, starting from the analysis of the needs from patients and the careful investigation of the sensory-motor human behaviour, capitalizing on the framework of synergistic control and soft robotics. The final goal is to study and design simple, effective and affordable soft synergy-based robotic technologies for the upper limb, such as new prostheses, exoskeletons, and assistive devices which can be useful and accessible to a wide audience of users. To pursue such an ambitious objective, SoftPro has put together research groups who laid the neuroscientific and technological fundamentals underpinning the project approach, a net of international collaborations and numerous and qualified industrial partners, which is expected to produce a strong impact on both research and innovation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The SoftPro Project: Synergy-Based Open-Source Technologies for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation

Piazza

Catalano

Bianchi

et al. 2018

Biosystems &Amp; Biorobotics

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“…The proportionality is estimated through a calibration procedure, measuring the maximum and the minimum reachable signal by the patient. This kind of control can be used in two different modalities, voluntarily open and voluntarily close [30]. In the voluntarily open mode, the increase of the signal makes the robotic hand close (the rest position corresponds to an open robotic hand).…”

Section: Input Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Soft Robotic Supernumerary Hand for Severely Affected Stroke Patients

Ciullo

Veerbeek

Temperli

et al. 2020

IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng.

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Upper limb functions are severely affected in 23% of the chronic stroke patients, compromising their life quality. To re-enable hand use, providing a degree of functionality and motivating against learned non-use, we propose a robotic supernumerary limb, the SoftHand X (SHX), consisting of a robotic hand, a gravity support system, and different sensors to detect the patient's intent for controlling the robotic hand. In this paper, this novel compensational approach is introduced and experimentally evaluated in stroke patients, assessing its efficacy, usability and safety. Ten patients were asked to perform tasks of a modified Action Research Arm Test with the SHX, by using three input methods. The mARAT scores rated the potentiality of the system. Usability was evaluated with the System Usability Scale, while spasticity before and after use was measured by the modified Ashworth Scale (mAS). Nine patients, not able to perform any tasks without external support, completed the whole experimental procedure using the proposed system with a median score greater than 12/30. Among the three input methods tested, the usability of one was rated as "good" while the other two were rated as "ok". Seven patients exhibited a reduction of the mAS. All nine patients stated that they would use the system frequently. Results obtained suggest that the SHX has the potential to partially compensate severely impaired hand function in stroke patients.

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“…Only one actuator drives all the fingers so to resamble the first synergy defined as in Santello et al ( 1998 ). Recently, Piazza et al ( 2017 ) have exploited the same concept of adaptive synergies to design a prosthetic hand.…”

Section: Mechanical Implementation Of Postural Synergiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Replicating Human Hand Synergies Onto Robotic Hands: A Review on Software and Hardware Strategies

Salvietti

2018

Front. Neurorobot.

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This review reports the principal solutions proposed in the literature to reduce the complexity of the control and of the design of robotic hands taking inspiration from the organization of the human brain. Several studies in neuroscience concerning the sensorimotor organization of the human hand proved that, despite the complexity of the hand, a few parameters can describe most of the variance in the patterns of configurations and movements. In other words, humans exploit a reduced set of parameters, known in the literature as synergies, to control their hands. In robotics, this dimensionality reduction can be achieved by coupling some of the degrees of freedom (DoFs) of the robotic hand, that results in a reduction of the needed inputs. Such coupling can be obtained at the software level, exploiting mapping algorithm to reproduce human hand organization, and at the hardware level, through either rigid or compliant physical couplings between the joints of the robotic hand. This paper reviews the main solutions proposed for both the approaches.

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The SoftHand Pro-H: A Hybrid Body-Controlled, Electrically Powered Hand Prosthesis for Daily Living and Working

Cited by 34 publications

References 26 publications

The SoftPro Project: Synergy-Based Open-Source Technologies for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation

The SoftPro Project: Synergy-Based Open-Source Technologies for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation

A Novel Soft Robotic Supernumerary Hand for Severely Affected Stroke Patients

Replicating Human Hand Synergies Onto Robotic Hands: A Review on Software and Hardware Strategies

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