A Portable Device for Hand Rehabilitation With Force Cognition: Design, Interaction, and Experiment

Introducing interactive system into portable robots for hand rehabilitation has always been a crucial topic. Moreover, hand rehabilitation with force cognition can make patients participate actively and improve the rehabilitation effect. In this article, we design a portable robotic device with an interactive system for patients to rehabilitate with force cognition. First, an exoskeleton glove is designed with a compact mechanical structure which is controlled by a real-time feedback system. The portable device allows patients to rehabilitate not only in the hospital. Next, an interactive system, including virtual environment and force cognition, is introduced to detect the hand motion and collision. Finally, clinical tests of our portable device are carried out with nine subjects after tendon injury to show the effective assistance with our device.