Design of a hand exoskeleton (handexos) for the rehabilitation of the hand

This paper presents a novel exoskeleton device for the rehabilitation of the hand for post-stroke patients. The nature of the impaired hand can be summarized in a limited extension, abduction and adduction leaving the fingers in a flexed position; so our goal is to train a complete opening movement from a strongly contracted and closed position of the impaired hand. The mechanical design, based on the underactuation solution, offers the possibility to overcome the exoskeleton limits deriving from the general high level of complexity of the structure mechanism and actuation. We motivate and describe the underactuation choice. Moreover we detail the dynamic model and the analysis of the finger module.