Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation of Hand Function After Stroke with the HapticKnob and the HandCARE - Biomechatronics in Medicine and Healthcare - page 46

Figure 4.3 Hand rehabilitation robots. UC Irvine's HWARD (A) (Takahashi et al . (2005)),
Gifu Haptic Interface (B) (Kawasaki et al . (2007)), BiManuTrack (C) (Hesse et al . (2003)), the
Rutgers Master II (D) (Bouzit et al . (2002)), as well as our HapticKnob (E) (Lambercy et al .
(2007)) and HandCARE (F) (Dovat et al . (2008)).
an exoskeleton designed to train movement of each finger individually. Exoskele-
ton devices usually are complex mechanical structures with multiple degrees-of-
freedom (DOF), controlling several joints. Such systems have the advantage of
precisely controlling subjects' movements and providing assistance in performing
complex tasks, but it is difficult to adapt them to stroke patients with different
hand sizes and impairments, and they suffer from inertia and friction due to the
large number of joints.
On the other hand, end-effector robots such as the BiManuTrack (Hesse et al.
(2003)), or the Rutgers Master II (Bouzit et al. (2002)) interact with the user only at
the level of the hand or fingers. This may offer a more flexible solution with fewer
mechanical constraints on how the movement is performed, corresponding better
to manipulation of real objects in everyday life. Furthermore, end-effector devices
are usually mechanically simpler, easier to use and more compact, which are
important considerations for the deployment of robotic devices in rehabilitation
centers or patients' homes. Following such an approach, we have developed and
clinically evaluated the HapticKnob, and the HandCARE, two complementary
end-effector based rehabilitation devices to train hand and finger function.
4.3.1 The HapticKnob
The HapticKnob is a 2 DOF robotic device for training grasping in coordination
with pronation and supination of the forearm. A linear DOF enables opening