Soft Robotic Glove Modulating Joint Torque Through Novel Passive Extensor Mechanisms

Abstract

Soft robotic gloves have been widely researched to enhance the quality of life of people who cannot use their hands freely. Despite significant advancements in this field, most existing solutions have not adequately addressed adaptability to various individuals and tasks. Our robot overcomes these challenges through a novel passive extension mechanism, which enables adjustment of assistance torque for each finger joint adequately to various situations. To enable diverse assistance torque profiles without the need for extra actuators, two passive extensors with different moment arms for each finger joint have been implemented. A variable stiffness passive extensor adjuster (VSPE adjuster) is designed to change the stiffness and tension of each passive extensor easily. We've thoroughly verified the performance of each component through simulation and experiments. In the final demonstration of its feasibility, the robot was tested on three healthy participants and one participant with spinal cord injury, exhibiting its adaptability and promising potential for future real-world applications.