Accurate torque control of finger joints with UT hand exoskeleton through Bowden cable SEA

Abstract

The torque control of finger joints is important for effective hand rehabilitation after neural disorders such as stroke. This paper presents an approach for accurate torque control of finger joints with UT hand exoskeleton. We present (1) how we obtained an accurate kinematics model, (2) how we built the torque actuation model with Bowden cable SEA, and (3) how we controlled the torque of finger joints with the kinematic model and the Bowden cable SEA. We have validated our approach with a testbed finger and results show that the UT hand exoskeleton accurately controls the torque of finger joints.