Abstract
In Australia, a major cause of disability is the stroke and it is the second highest cause of death after coronary heart disease. Studies have predicted that form 2008 to 2017 more than 0.5 million people is likely to suffer from stroke in Australia. In addition, after stroke 88 % of the patients suffer from disability and stays at home.
In this paper, a post stroke therapeutic device has been designed for hand motor function rehabilitation that a stroke survivor can use for bilateral movement practice. Out of twenty-one degrees of freedom of hand fingers, the prototype of the hand exoskeleton allowed fifteen degrees of freedom. The device is designed to be portable so that the user can engage in other activities while using the device. A prototype of the device is fabricated to provide complete flexion and extension motion of individual fingers of the left hand (impaired hand) based on the movements of the right hand (healthy hand) fingers. In addition, testing of the device on a healthy subject was conducted to validate if the design met the requirements.
Full Text PDF –> Design and development of a hand exoskeleton for rehabilitation following stroke
TBI Rehabilitation 