Assessment of a 7-DOF Hand Exoskeleton for Neurorehabilitation

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States with approximately 800,000 cases per year. This cerebral vascular accident results in neurological impairments that reduce limb function and limit the daily independence of the individual. Robotic rehabilitation may present an exercise intervention that can improve training and induce motor plasticity in individuals with stroke. A motorized hand exoskeleton that operates under admittance control provides support for wrist flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, pronation/supination, and finger pinch has been integrated with a pre-existing 3-Degree of Freedom (DOF) haptic robot (Haptic Master, FCS Moog) to determine the efficacy of increased DOF during proximal and distal training for neurorehabilitation.