Mechanical Design of a Bioinspired Compliant Robotic Wrist Rehabilitation Equipment

Early social reintegration of patients with disabilities of the wrist is possible with the help of dedicated rehabilitation equipment. Using such equipment reduces the duration of recovery and reduces significantly rehabilitation costs. Based on these considerations the paper puts forward a novel constructive solution of rehabilitation equipment that ensures the simultaneous passive mobilization of the radiocarpal, metacarpophalangeal, and interphalangeal joints. The novelty of this equipment consists in the bioinspired concept of the hand support based on the Fin-Ray effect and in driving it by means of a pneumatic muscle, an inherently compliant actuator. The paper places an emphasis on the compliant character of the rehabilitation equipment that is responsible for its adaptability to the concrete conditions of patient pain tolerability.

Automated summary

Early social reintegration of wrist disability patients is possible with dedicated rehabilitation equipment, which reduces recovery time and costs. The paper proposes a novel rehabilitation equipment solution that combines bioinspired concept and compliant characteristics, adapting to patients' pain tolerability.