Restoration of hand function is one of the highest priorities for SCI populations. In this work, we present a prototype of a robotic assistive orthosis capable of implementing tenodesis user control. The underactuated device provides active grasping assistance while preserving free wrist mobility through the use of Bowden cables. This device enables force modulation during grasping, which was effectively leveraged by a participant with C6 SCI to demonstrate improved grasping abilities using the orthosis, scoring 11 on the Grasp and Release Test using the device compared to 1 without it.
@article{arxiv.2311.17244,
title = {Towards Tenodesis-Modulated Control of an Assistive Hand Exoskeleton for SCI},
author = {Joaquin Palacios and Alexandra Deli-Ivanov and Ava Chen and Lauren Winterbottom and Dawn M. Nilsen and Joel Stein and Matei Ciocarlie},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.17244},
year = {2023}
}
Comments
2 pages, 4 figures. Presented at the IROS 2023 Assistive Robotics for Citizens Workshop