soft robotic gloves. Stroke, which affects about 1.1 million people annually, is the major contributor to adult disability in the EU. Patients who have had a stroke frequently require rehabilitation to relearn how to walk, communicate, or carry out daily duties. According to research, music therapy, in addition to physical and occupational treatment, can aid in the recovery of verbal and motor function in stroke patients.
However, performing music may be a skill that needs to be relearned for musicians who have musical training and have experienced a stroke. A new study published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI demonstrates how cutting-edge soft robotics can assist recuperating patients in relearning musical talents and other motor-skills-required tasks. Lead author Dr. Maohua Lin, an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Ocean & Mechanical Engineering, said, “Here we show that our smart exoskeleton glove, with its integrated tactile sensors, soft actuators, and artificial intelligence, can effectively aid in the relearning of manual tasks after neurotrauma.”
Who suits the glove: ‘Smart hand’ glove made to order
A lightweight, flexible, multi-layered robo-glove that was 3D printed by Lin and colleagues is what they call a “smart hand exoskeleton” and has undergone testing. It weighs only 191g. The glove’s entire palm and wrist region is meant to be flexible and soft, and its shape may be adjusted to fit the anatomy of each wearer.
Its fingertips have soft pneumatic actuators that provide motion and exert force, simulating the actions of a human hand. 16 flexible sensors, known as “taxels,” are also present in each fingertip, providing the wearer’s hand with tactile feedback when it comes into contact with items or surfaces. All actuators and sensors are installed through a single molding process, making glove production simple. Human users have considerable control over each finger’s movement while wearing the glove, according to senior author Dr. Erik Engeberg, a professor in the Department of Ocean & Mechanical Engineering at Florida Atlantic University.
The glove’s purpose is to support and improve the wearer’s natural hand movements by giving them control over finger flexion and extension. The glove offers support and increases dexterity while also offering hand guiding. The scientists speculate that patients may eventually don a set of these gloves to aid in the autonomous recovery of motor skills, coordination, and dexterity in both hands.
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