Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke
Abstract Background Chronic hand and wrist impairment are frequently present following stroke and severely limit independence in everyday life. The wrist orientates and stabilizes the hand before and during grasping, and is therefore of critical importance in activities of daily living (ADL). To imp...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12984-020-00749-4 |
| _version_ | 1828529578949214208 |
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| author | Charles Lambelet Damir Temiraliuly Marc Siegenthaler Marc Wirth Daniel G. Woolley Olivier Lambercy Roger Gassert Nicole Wenderoth |
| author_facet | Charles Lambelet Damir Temiraliuly Marc Siegenthaler Marc Wirth Daniel G. Woolley Olivier Lambercy Roger Gassert Nicole Wenderoth |
| author_sort | Charles Lambelet |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Chronic hand and wrist impairment are frequently present following stroke and severely limit independence in everyday life. The wrist orientates and stabilizes the hand before and during grasping, and is therefore of critical importance in activities of daily living (ADL). To improve rehabilitation outcomes, classical therapy could be supplemented by novel therapies that can be applied in unsupervised settings. This would enable more distributed practice and could potentially increase overall training dose. Robotic technology offers new possibilities to address this challenge, but it is critical that devices for independent training are easy and appealing to use. Here, we present the development, characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable exoskeleton for active wrist extension/flexion support in stroke rehabilitation. Methods First we defined the requirements, and based on these, constructed the exoskeleton. We then characterized the device with standardized haptic and human-robot interaction metrics. The exoskeleton is composed of two modules placed on the forearm/hand and the upper arm. These modules weigh 238 g and 224 g, respectively. The forearm module actively supports wrist extension and flexion with a torque up to 3.7 Nm and an angular velocity up to 530 deg/s over a range of 154∘. The upper arm module includes the control electronics and battery, which can power the device for about 125 min in normal use. Special emphasis was put on independent donning and doffing of the device, which was tested via a wearability evaluation in 15 healthy participants and 2 stroke survivors using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Results All participants were able to independently don and doff the device after only 4 practice trials. For healthy participants the donning and doffing process took 61 ±15 s and 24 ±6 s, respectively. The two stroke survivors donned and doffed the exoskeleton in 54 s/22 s and 113 s/32 s, respectively. Usability questionnaires revealed that despite minor difficulties, all participants were positive regarding the device. Conclusions This study describes an actuated wrist exoskeleton which weighs less than 500 g, and which is easy and fast to don and doff with one hand. Our design has put special emphasis on the donning aspect of robotic devices which constitutes the first barrier a user will face in unsupervised settings. The proposed device is a first and intermediate step towards wearable rehabilitation technologies that can be used independently by the patient and in unsupervised settings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:10:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-443a71ae460a4f63bbc8b0613a59f9f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1743-0003 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:10:58Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation |
| spelling | doaj.art-443a71ae460a4f63bbc8b0613a59f9f02022-12-22T00:48:47ZengBMCJournal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation1743-00032020-10-0117111610.1186/s12984-020-00749-4Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after strokeCharles Lambelet0Damir Temiraliuly1Marc Siegenthaler2Marc Wirth3Daniel G. Woolley4Olivier Lambercy5Roger Gassert6Nicole Wenderoth7Neural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichNeural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichNeural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichNeural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichNeural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichRehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichNeural Control of Movement Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZurichAbstract Background Chronic hand and wrist impairment are frequently present following stroke and severely limit independence in everyday life. The wrist orientates and stabilizes the hand before and during grasping, and is therefore of critical importance in activities of daily living (ADL). To improve rehabilitation outcomes, classical therapy could be supplemented by novel therapies that can be applied in unsupervised settings. This would enable more distributed practice and could potentially increase overall training dose. Robotic technology offers new possibilities to address this challenge, but it is critical that devices for independent training are easy and appealing to use. Here, we present the development, characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable exoskeleton for active wrist extension/flexion support in stroke rehabilitation. Methods First we defined the requirements, and based on these, constructed the exoskeleton. We then characterized the device with standardized haptic and human-robot interaction metrics. The exoskeleton is composed of two modules placed on the forearm/hand and the upper arm. These modules weigh 238 g and 224 g, respectively. The forearm module actively supports wrist extension and flexion with a torque up to 3.7 Nm and an angular velocity up to 530 deg/s over a range of 154∘. The upper arm module includes the control electronics and battery, which can power the device for about 125 min in normal use. Special emphasis was put on independent donning and doffing of the device, which was tested via a wearability evaluation in 15 healthy participants and 2 stroke survivors using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Results All participants were able to independently don and doff the device after only 4 practice trials. For healthy participants the donning and doffing process took 61 ±15 s and 24 ±6 s, respectively. The two stroke survivors donned and doffed the exoskeleton in 54 s/22 s and 113 s/32 s, respectively. Usability questionnaires revealed that despite minor difficulties, all participants were positive regarding the device. Conclusions This study describes an actuated wrist exoskeleton which weighs less than 500 g, and which is easy and fast to don and doff with one hand. Our design has put special emphasis on the donning aspect of robotic devices which constitutes the first barrier a user will face in unsupervised settings. The proposed device is a first and intermediate step towards wearable rehabilitation technologies that can be used independently by the patient and in unsupervised settings.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12984-020-00749-4Wearable exoskeletonWristStrokeRobotic rehabilitationHome-basedWearability/usability evaluation |
| spellingShingle | Charles Lambelet Damir Temiraliuly Marc Siegenthaler Marc Wirth Daniel G. Woolley Olivier Lambercy Roger Gassert Nicole Wenderoth Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation Wearable exoskeleton Wrist Stroke Robotic rehabilitation Home-based Wearability/usability evaluation |
| title | Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke |
| title_full | Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke |
| title_fullStr | Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke |
| title_short | Characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke |
| title_sort | characterization and wearability evaluation of a fully portable wrist exoskeleton for unsupervised training after stroke |
| topic | Wearable exoskeleton Wrist Stroke Robotic rehabilitation Home-based Wearability/usability evaluation |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12984-020-00749-4 |
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