Abstract
People with Duchenne muscular dystrophy are currently in need of assistive robotics to improve their hand function and have a better quality of life. However, none of the available active hand orthoses is able to address to their specific needs. In this study, the use of hydraulic technology is proposed in the design of an active hand orthosis. Commercially available components were used to identify where customization is necessary for a new electrohydraulic hand orthosis. The presented prototype was able to move four finger modules with a single actuator. The finger modules were separable and had a total mass of only 150 g, whereas the valve manifold added another 250 g. Results revealed that the prototype was able to function well with full flexion/extension cycles up to 2 Hz, but with hysteretic losses between 37-81% of the total input energy. Specialized valves and slave cylinders are required to increase efficiency at higher speeds and to obtain more robust sealing performance.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | BIOROB 2018 - 7th IEEE International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics |
Place of Publication | Piscataway, NJ, USA |
Publisher | IEEE |
Pages | 305-311 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781538681831 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Event | 7th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BIOROB 2018 - Enschede, Netherlands Duration: 26 Aug 2018 → 29 Aug 2018 |
Conference
Conference | 7th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BIOROB 2018 |
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Country/Territory | Netherlands |
City | Enschede |
Period | 26/08/18 → 29/08/18 |