Design,control,and testing of a thumb exoskeleton with series elastic actuation

Abstract

We present an exoskeleton capable of assisting the human thumb through a large range of motion. Our novel thumb exoskeleton has the following unique features: (i) an underlying kinematic mechanism that is optimized to achieve a large range of motion, (ii) a design that actuates four degrees of freedom of the thumb, and (iii) a series elastic actuation based on a Bowden cable, allowing for bidirectional torque control of each thumb joint individually. We present a kinematic model of the coupled thumb exoskeleton system and use it to maximize the range of motion of the thumb. Finally, we carry out tests with the designed device on four subjects to evaluate its workspace and kinematic transparency using a motion capture system and torque control performance. Results show that the device allows for a large workspace with the thumb, is kinematically transparent to natural thumb motion to a high degree, and is capable of accurate torque control.

Keywords

Thumb exoskeleton torque control series elastic actuator kinematic transparency workspace analysis

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adamovich

Merians

Boian

. (2005) A virtual reality-based exercise system for hand rehabilitation post-stroke. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 14(2): 161–174.

Agarwal

Deshpande

(2015) Impedance and force-field control of the index finger module of a hand exoskeleton for rehabilitation. In: IEEE international conference on rehabilitation robotics, Singapore, 11–14 August 2015, pp.85–90. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

Agarwal

Fox

Yun

. (2015) An index finger exoskeleton with series elastic actuation for rehabilitation: Design, control and performance characterization. International Journal of Robotics Research 34(14): 1747–1772.

Aiple

Schiele

(2013) Pushing the limits of the cybergrasp for haptic rendering. In: IEEE international conference on robotics and automation, Karlsruhe, Germany, 6–10 May 2013, pp.3541–3546. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

Avizzano

Bargagli

Frisoli

. (2000) The hand force feedback: Analysis and control of a haptic device for the human-hand. In: IEEE international conference on systems, man, and cybernetics, Nashville, TN, 8–11 October 2000, vol. 2, pp.989–994.

Beebe

Lang

(2009) Active range of motion predicts upper extremity function 3 months after stroke. Stroke 40(5): 1772–1779.

Bernhardt

Frey

Colombo

. (2005) Hybrid force-position control yields cooperative behaviour of the rehabilitation robot lokomat. In: IEEE international conference on rehabilitation robotics, Chicago, IL, 28 June–1 July 2005, pp.536–539. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

Bianchi

Salaris

Bicchi

(2013) Synergy-based hand pose sensing: Optimal glove design. International Journal of Robotics Research 32(4): 407–424.

Blank

French

Pehlivan

. (2014) Current trends in robot-assisted upper-limb stroke rehabilitation: promoting patient engagement in therapy. Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports 2(3): 184–195.

10.

Bouzit

Burdea

Popescu

. (2002) The Rutgers Master II—new design force-feedback glove. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 7(2): 256–263.

11.

Brault

(2012) Americans with Disabilities: 2010. Washington, DC: US Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.

12.

Broeks

Lankhorst

Rumping

. (1999) The long-term outcome of arm function after stroke: Results of a follow-up study. Disability and Rehabilitation 21(8): 357–364.

13.

Cai

Fong

Otoshi

. (2006) Implications of assist-as-needed robotic step training after a complete spinal cord injury on intrinsic strategies of motor learning. Journal of Neuroscience 26(41): 10564–10568.

14.

Cempini

Cortese

Vitiello

(2015) A powered finger–thumb wearable hand exoskeleton with self-aligning joint axes. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 20(2): 705–716.

15.

Cerveri

De Momi

Lopomo

. (2007) Finger kinematic modeling and real-time hand motion estimation. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 35(11): 1989–2002.

16.

Chan

Childress

(1990) On information transmission in human-machine systems: Channel capacity and optimal filtering. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics 20(5): 1136–1145.

17.

Chang

Pollard

(2008) Method for determining kinematic parameters of the in vivo thumb carpometacarpal joint. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 55(7): 1897–1906.

18.

Cheney

Kincaid

(2009) Linear Algebra: Theory and Applications. Washington, DC: Saylor Foundation.

19.

Choi

(2008) Developing a 3-dimensional kinematic model of the hand for ergonomic analyses of hand posture, hand space envelope, and tendon excursion. PhD Thesis, University of Michigan, USA.

20.

Colombo

Pisano

Micera

. (2005) Robotic techniques for upper limb evaluation and rehabilitation of stroke patients. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 13(3): 311–324.

21.

Cooney

Lucca

Chao

. (1981) The kinesiology of the thumb trapeziometacarpal joint. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery 63(9): 1371–1381.

22.

DeSouza

Aubin

Petersen

. (2014) A pediatric robotic thumb exoskeleton for at-home rehabilitation: The isolated orthosis for thumb actuation (IOTA). International Journal of Intelligent Computing and Cybernetics 7(3): 233–252.

23.

Dollar

(2014) Classifying human hand use and the activities of daily living. In: Balasubramanian

Santos

(eds) The Human Hand as an Inspiration for Robot Hand Development. Cham: Springer, pp.201–216.

24.

Doolittle

(1988) Stroke recovery: Review of the literature and suggestions for future research. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing 20(3): 169–173.

25.

Fontana

Fabio

Marcheschi

. (2013) Haptic hand exoskeleton for precision grasp simulation. Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics 5(4): 041014.

26.

Gabiccini

Stillfried

Marino

. (2013) A data-driven kinematic model of the human hand with soft-tissue artifact compensation mechanism for grasp synergy analysis. In: IEEE/RSJ international conference on intelligent robots and systems, Tokyo, Japan, 3–7 November 2013. pp.3738–3745. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

27.

Garcia-Hernandez

Sarakoglou

Tsagarakis

. (2014) Under-actuated hand exoskeleton with novel kinematics for potential use in rehabilitation. In: EuroHaptics, Versailles, France, 24–27 June 2014, pp.463–465. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.

28.

Harwin

Rahman

Foulds

(1995) A review of design issues in rehabilitation robotics with reference to North American research. IEEE Transactions on Rehabilitation Engineering 3(1): 3–13.

29.

Hasegawa

Mikami

Watanabe

. (2008) Five-fingered assistive hand with mechanical compliance of human finger. In: IEEE international conference on robotics and automation, Pasadena, CA, 19–23 May 2008, pp.718–724. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

30.

Bae

(2015) Design and control of a wearable hand exoskeleton with force-controllable and compact actuator modules. In: IEEE international conference on robotics and automation, Seattle, WA, 26–30 May 2015, pp.5596–5601. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

31.

Kawasaki

Kimura

Ito

. (2006) Hand rehabilitation support system based on self-motion control, with a clinical case report. In: World automation congress, Budapest, Hungary, 24–26 July 2006, pp. 1–6. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

32.

Klein

Spencer

Reinkensmeyer

(2012) Breaking it down is better: Haptic decomposition of complex movements aids in robot-assisted motor learning. Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 20(3): 268–275.

33.

Lambercy

Schröder

Zwicker

. (2013) Design of a thumb exoskeleton for hand rehabilitation. In: Proceedings of the 7th international convention on rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 29–31 August 2013, paper no. 41. Singapore: Singapore Therapeutic, Assistive & Rehabilitative Technologies (START) Centre.

34.

Leonardis

Barsotti

Loconsole

. (2015) An EMG-controlled robotic hand exoskeleton for bilateral rehabilitation. IEEE Transactions on Haptics 8(2): 140–151.

35.

Zheng

Zhang

. (2011) iHandRehab: An interactive hand exoskeleton for active and passive rehabilitation. In: IEEE international conference on rehabilitation robotics, Zurich, Switzerland, 29 June–1 July 2011, pp.1–6. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

36.

Tang

(2007) Coordination of thumb joints during opposition. Journal of Biomechanics 40(3): 502–510.

37.

Lin

Kuo

Liu

. (2011) The three-dimensional analysis of three thumb joints coordination in activities of daily living. Clinical Biomechanics 26(4): 371–376.

38.

Lotze

Braun

Birbaumer

. (2003) Motor learning elicited by voluntary drive. Brain 126(4): 866–872.

39.

Maeder-York

Clites

Boggs

. (2014) Biologically inspired soft robot for thumb rehabilitation. Journal of Medical Devices 8(2): 020933-1-3.

40.

Marchal-Crespo

Reinkensmeyer

(2009) Review of control strategies for robotic movement training after neurologic injury. Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation 6(1): 20.

41.

Meng

Liu

Zhou

. (2015) Recent development of mechanisms and control strategies for robot-assisted lower limb rehabilitation. Mechatronics 31: 132–145.

42.

Metcalf

Notley

Chappell

. (2008) Validation and application of a computational model for wrist and hand movements using surface markers. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 55(3): 1199–1210.

43.

Miyata

Kouchi

Kurihara

. (2004) Modeling of human hand link structure from optical motion capture data. In: IEEE/RSJ international conference on intelligent robots and systems, Sendai, Japan, 28 September–2 October 2004, vol. 3, pp.2129–2135. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

44.

Mozaffarian

Benjamin

. (2015) Heart disease and stroke statistics—2015 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation 131(4): e29.

45.

Norton

(1999) Design of Machinery: An Introduction to the Synthesis and Analysis of Mechanisms and Machines. Boston, MA: WCB McGraw-Hill.

46.

Pehlivan

Sergi

O’Malley

(2014) A subject-adaptive controller for wrist robotic rehabilitation. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 20(3): 1338–1350.

47.

Perez

Lungholt

Nyborg

. (2004) Motor skill training induces changes in the excitability of the leg cortical area in healthy humans. Experimental Brain Research 159(2): 197–205.

48.

Sale

Lombardi

Franceschini

(2012) Hand robotics rehabilitation: feasibility and preliminary results of a robotic treatment in patients with hemiparesis. Stroke Research and Treatment 2012: 820931.

49.

Santos

Valero-Cuevas

(2006) Reported anatomical variability naturally leads to multimodal distributions of Denavit–Hartenberg parameters for the human thumb. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 53(2): 155–163.

50.

Sarakoglou

Tsagarakis

Caldwell

(2004) Occupational and physical therapy using a hand exoskeleton based exerciser. In: 2004 IEEE/RSJ international conference on intelligent robots and systems, Sendai, Japan, 28 September–2 October 2004, vol. 3, pp.2973–2978. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

51.

Schabowsky

Godfrey

Holley

. (2010) Development and pilot testing of HEXORR: hand exoskeleton rehabilitation robot. Journal of Neuroengineering Rehabilitation 7(1): 36.

52.

Schmidt

Bjork

(1992) New conceptualizations of practice: Common principles in three paradigms suggest new concepts for training. Psychological Science 3(4): 207–217.

53.

Sheridan

Ferrell

(1974) Man-Machine Systems: Information, Control, and Decision Models of Human Performance. Cambridge, MA: MIT.

54.

Smith

(2008) Hand tools. Available at: http://www.ergonomics4schools.com/lzone/tools.htm (accessed 28 June 2016).

55.

Smutz

Kongsayreepong

Hughes

. (1998) Mechanical advantage of the thumb muscles. Journal of Biomechanics 31(6): 565–570.

56.

Soucacos

(2001) Indications and selection for digital amputation and replantation. Journal of Hand Surgery (British and European Volume) 26(6): 572–581.

57.

Sukal

Ellis

Dewald

(2007) Shoulder abduction-induced reductions in reaching work area following hemiparetic stroke: neuroscientific implications. Experimental Brain Research 183(2): 215–223.

58.

Takagi

Iwata

Takahashi

. (2009) Development of a grip aid system using air cylinders. In: IEEE international conference on robotics and automation, Kobe, Japan, 12–17 May 2009, pp. 2312–2317. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

59.

Ueki

Kawasaki

Ito

. (2012) Development of a hand-assist robot with multi-degrees-of-freedom for rehabilitation therapy. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 17(1): 136–146.

60.

Villafañe

Cleland

Fernandez-De-Las-Penas

(2013) The effectiveness of a manual therapy and exercise protocol in patients with thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 43(4): 204–213.

61.

Wang

Shastri

Jones

. (2011) Design and control of an actuated thumb exoskeleton for hand rehabilitation following stroke. In: IEEE international conference on robotics and automation, Shanghai, China, 9–13 May 2011, pp.3688–3693. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE.

62.

Wikipedia (2016) Selective laser sintering. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_laser_sintering (accessed 25 January 2016).

63.

Williams

Weinberger

Harris

. (1999) Development of a stroke-specific quality of life scale. Stroke 30(7): 1362–1369.

64.

Wissel

Schelosky

Scott

. (2010) Early development of spasticity following stroke: A prospective, observational trial. Journal of Neurology 257(7): 1067–1072.

65.

Zhang

Lee

Braido

(2003) Determining finger segmental centers of rotation in flexion–extension based on surface marker measurement. Journal of Biomechanics 36(8): 1097–1102.