Desenvolvimento de um sistema para reabilitação de dedos

Abstract

Hands are apt to suffer various types of injuries in accidents or injuries caused by diseases. To regain the motor capability, hand rehabilitation is crucial in the therapeutic approach. In this sense, the development of new therapies to finger movement rehabilitation for individuals who suffered hand injuries is very useful, allowing these individuals to regain their ability to perform basic activities of daily living. The objective of this study is to develop a system to be used in the rehabilitation of human finger movements. The project consists of an exoskeleton to be mounted on dorsal side of the hand, and the study had been applied for the index finger. The mechanical structure is a linkage mechanism of six bars with a slider, where the slider movement is provided by a pneumatic cylinder. The system is capable to perform flexion and extension of each finger joint independently. The detailed structure of the exoskeleton was performed using three-dimensional computer graphics since finger characteristics. This work also includes specification of commercial components and control strategy.