Design and Fabrication of a Low-Cost Actuated Hand Orthosis for Rehabilitating Paralyzed Patients

This paper presents a new, portable, easy to operate, and low-cost wearable robotic methodology for finger rehabilitation. It is based on a simple mechanism to assist the bending and extending movements with variable speeds, and it commensurate with the disease severity of total or partial paralysis. The designed electro-mechanical robotic glove relies on the analysis of the biological structure and the physiological movement of each joint of the human fingers. The created robot is cable-driven equipped with a variable-speed programmed actuator for treating and training the fingers to be able to restore their original functions. The designed device demonstrated durable flexion and extension movements of all the fingers synchronously and individually with different patients. The results showed significant progress in restoring a higher percentage of the hand functions after several treatment times under a specific program. The fabricated device is distinguished from other current devices in that it has a simple and comfortable design and can work and move more freely and without the need for a therapist. In addition, it is lightweight and easy to wear/remove, and the cheap price makes it available to all patients. The fabricated prototype can restore natural motion and the brain's memory for full control of hand movement.