Design of Guided Bending Bellows Actuators for Soft Hand Function Rehabilitation Gloves

This study developed a soft pneumatic glove actuated by elliptical cross-sectional guided bending bellows to augment finger-knuckle rehabilitation for patients with hand dysfunction. The actuators (GBBAs) are made of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) materials, demonstrating the necessary air tightness as actuator. GBBAs could produce different moments inertia when increasing internal pressure drives along distinct symmetry planes and exhibits anisotropic kinematic performance. Actuated GBBAs, wearable gloves can be used daily training dysfunction enhance range motion finger joint. To control each independently achieve function manipulating gestures, multi-channel system is designed, circuit equipped an air-pressure sensor make adjustments based on feedback. Compared general robotic exoskeleton currently dysfunction, have advantage enhancing strength, movement range, multi-action coordination applied actuators.