A Hybrid, Soft Exoskeleton Glove Equipped with a Telescopic Extra Thumb and Abduction Capabilities

Gerez L, Dwivedi A, Liarokapis M (2020)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2020

Journal

Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

Pages Range: 9100-9106

Conference Proceedings Title: Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

Event location: Paris FR

ISBN: 9781728173955

DOI: 10.1109/ICRA40945.2020.9197473

Abstract

Over the last years, hand exoskeletons have become a popular and efficient technical solution for assisting people that suffer from neurological and musculoskeletal diseases and enhance the capabilities of healthy individuals. These devices can vary from rigid and complex structures to soft, lightweight, wearable gloves. Despite the significant progress in the field, most existing solutions do not provide the same dexterity as the healthy human hand. In this paper, we focus on the development of a hybrid (tendon-driven and pneumatic), lightweight, affordable, wearable exoskeleton glove equipped with abduction/adduction capabilities and a pneumatic telescopic extra thumb that increases grasp stability. The efficiency of the proposed device is experimentally validated through three different types of experiments: i) abduction/adduction tests, ii) force exertion experiments that capture the maximum forces that can be applied by the proposed device, and iii) grasp quality assessment experiments that focus on the effect of the inflatable thumb on enhancing grasp stability. The hybrid assistive glove considerably improves the grasping capabilities of the user, being able to exert the forces required to assist people in the execution of activities of daily living.

Authors with CRIS profile

Anany Dwivedi

Involved external institutions

University of Auckland NZ New Zealand (NZ)

How to cite

APA:

Gerez, L., Dwivedi, A., & Liarokapis, M. (2020). A Hybrid, Soft Exoskeleton Glove Equipped with a Telescopic Extra Thumb and Abduction Capabilities. In Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (pp. 9100-9106). Paris, FR: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..

MLA:

Gerez, Lucas, Anany Dwivedi, and Minas Liarokapis. "A Hybrid, Soft Exoskeleton Glove Equipped with a Telescopic Extra Thumb and Abduction Capabilities." Proceedings of the 2020 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2020, Paris Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2020. 9100-9106.

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