Soft rehabilitation gloves have gained widespread recognition for aiding patients with hand function-related disabilities in regaining finger movement. These gloves often utilize soft pneumatic actuators that harness air pressure to facilitate movements.
Despite notable advancements in design in recent years, many available soft actuators have limitations in achieving bidirectional motion similar to finger joints – they primarily enable finger bending (flexion) but lack support for finger straightening (extension).
A team of biomedical researchers at Chiba University has successfully addressed this design challenge by creating a groundbreaking foldable pouch actuator (FPA) that seamlessly integrates with existing soft actuators in rehabilitation gloves.
Led by Professor Wenwei Yu from the Center for Frontier Medical Engineering at Chiba University, Japan, the research team also included Dr. Shota Kokubu and Mr. Pablo E. Tortós Vinocour from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Chiba University, Japan.
“Despite having partial hand function, many older people with hand function-related disabilities whom I’ve come across require the full attention of the healthcare staff. I wondered if an efficient and safe assistive device could bolster their hand function for daily activities, thus helping them enjoy their life better. Imagine their joy in eating their meals using their hands to manipulate spoons or chopsticks,” Prof. Yu explains when asked about the motivation for the study.
Prof. Yu and his research group have developed the FPA, which is the first joint-modular bi-directional soft actuator. It is made up of a single sheet flat, foldable structure that only expands under pressure to generate the necessary force for finger extension.
The FPA allows for finger extension in soft rehabilitation gloves without compromising the functionality provided by other soft actuators, such as finger flexion achieved by fiber-reinforced elastomer-based actuators. Their findings were verified through tests on a synthetic finger model. Results from the model demonstrated that the integrated soft actuator could generate enough torque (force) for the required finger movements, including a joint bending torque of 0.17 Newton meters (Nm) and an estimated straightening torque of 0.12 Nm.
The enhanced design of the soft rehabilitation glove has the potential for significant clinical implications.
Prof. Yu mentions a few potential applications of the upgraded soft rehabilitation gloves, “High-performance modular soft actuators could help hand function restoration in both telerehabilitation and care facility scenarios.”
He adds, “The new soft actuator has the potential to be used not only for helping rehabilitation but also for assisting daily living activity as assistive devices. Due to its inherent safety, high functionality, and wearability, such assistive devices may play a major role in our aging society.”
Prof. Yu’s recommendation for future soft rehabilitation glove designs includes enhancing manufacturing precision and implementing controlling systems for joint-specific rehabilitation support.
In summary, Prof. Yu and his research group’s efforts have provided hope to countless individuals worldwide grappling with hand function-related disabilities, thanks to the FPA and the subsequent advancements in soft rehabilitation gloves.
Journal reference:
- Shota Kokubu, Pablo E. Tortós Vinocour, Wenwei Yu. Bidirectional Support for Individual Finger Joints in Soft Rehabilitation Gloves: Integration of Foldable Pouch Actuators With Modular Elastomeric Actuators. IEEE Access, 2024; DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3395468
