DESIGN OF A NOVEL ROBOTIC HAND REHABILITATION DEVICE

Bogdan GHERMAN, Ștefan VEGH, Călin VAIDA, Mihai CIUPE, Laszlo RACZ, Iuliu NADĂȘ, Dragoș SEBENI, Ionuț ZIMA, Doina PÎSLA

Abstract


This paper presents a wearable glove-based hand rehabilitation device driven by Bowden cables and manufactured via multi-material 3D printing. A middle-finger sleeve module is used to study cable routing, cutout geometry, and local stiffness governing compliant bending. The CAD design combines flexible finger interfaces with rigid routing and sheath anchors to reduce distal mass and improve comfort. Linear static FEA (Nastran SOL 101) under 10 – 40 N cable loads quantifies deformation, revealing excessive proximal bending and axial elongation with limited distal flexion. The routing is then redesigned and prototyped. Preliminary tests on printed parts show improved flexion and enable fingertip force estimation using an FSR-based setup, supporting feasibility for full-glove integration.

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References


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