ExoHand

Year

2012

The idea

This exoskeleton is modelled on the anatomy of the human hand.

The objective

The ExoHand is customised to fit an individual human hand; it can move the wearer’s fingers, amplify their force and transmit data.

Technical data

• Pneumatic actuators: 8
• Piezo proportional valves (orthosis): 16
• Piezo proportional valves (robot hand): 8
• Sensors: 8 linear potentiometers, 16 pressure sensors
• Material: polyamide

Control

The ExoHand can register natural movements and convey them in real time: for this purpose, sensors record the respective forces, angles and distances. The servo-pneumatic control and regulation are carried out using special algorithms. By means of a second exoskeleton, the position and force values can then be transferred to a robotic hand in a so-called force feedback system.

Movement

The ExoHand is able to emulate all the physiological degrees of freedom of a biological hand. Eight pneumatic actuators provide the corresponding movements and ensure correct positioning of the individual finger joints.

Assistance

The hand structure gives human operators more strength and precision; it can take the burden off them and relieve them of hazardous tasks. The force feedback system even enables it to act over long distances.

Medicine

The ExoHand can be used as an orthosis in rehabilitation – for patients with symptoms of paralysis after a stroke, for example. An EEG signal taken from the head indicates if the patient wants to open or close his or her hand. In a closed feedback loop, the signal is processed via a brain-computer interface so that the ExoHand can perform the desired training movement.

Material

ExoHand