Evaluating adaptability properties of a compact wearable hand exoskeleton

Wearable devices for robotic rehabilitation and assistance are designed to adapt to the features of human limb structure. Wearable robotic exoskeletons for hand rehabilitation, in particular, must comply with the complexity of this important part of our body. Most of the solutions available in the literature are designed and optimized on the basis of the specific users' anthropometric characteristics. A too extreme customization, however, is time and cost-demanding. In this paper, we exploit the capabilities of a modular hand exoskeleton for finger flexion/extension (f/e) actuation, whose structure allows users with different hand sizes and characteristics to wear it. In the paper, in particular, we assess how the same exoskeleton behaves when it is worn by users with different hand sizes, by means of theoretical/numerical simulations and experimental measures, with the aim of defining the range of possible hand sizes compatible with a certain device.