Print-it-Yourself (PIY) glove: A fully 3D printed soft robotic hand rehabilitative and assistive exoskeleton for stroke patients

Abstract

This paper presents the design and preliminary investigation of a fully 3D printed soft robotic hand exoskeleton, Print-it-Yourself (PIY) Glove for stroke patients. The PIY Glove is fabricated with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) using consumer based 3D printing technology to lower fabrication costs and allow patients to 3D print a rehabilitative and assistive device at home. PIY Glove uses a novel, fold based design of 3D printed soft actuators to achieve bending motion in the fingers. Fabrication guidelines of the PIY Glove are laid out and characterization of the glove in terms of its range of motion and grip force are also presented. An EMG control system that achieves control of the PIY Glove is also described. This work paves the way for the implementation of printable pneumatics in real-world applications, particularly robot-assisted hand therapy.