Exo-Glove Poly II: A Polymer-Based Soft Wearable Robot for the Hand with a Tendon-Driven Actuation System

TLDR

The study introduces Exo‑Glove Poly II, a fully polymer‑based, tendon‑driven soft wearable robot designed to restore hand function in individuals with spinal cord injury. The glove’s compact, single‑material construction, passive thumb opposition, and optimized antagonistic tendon routing—validated through a kinematic model and tests on two SCI subjects—enable a versatile, robust actuation system for various hand sizes. EGP II successfully restores pinch and grasp in daily activities for SCI patients, and its lightweight design (104 g for the glove, 1.14 kg for the actuation system) allows placement on desks or wheelchairs.

Abstract

This article presents Exo-Glove Poly (EGP) II, a soft wearable robot for the hand with a glove that is completely constructed of polymer materials and that operates through tendon-driven actuation for use in spinal cord injury (SCI). EGP II can restore the ability to pinch and grasp any object for people with SCI in daily life. The design of the glove allows it to be compact and extends the range of hand sizes that can fit. A passive thumb structure was developed to oppose the thumb for improved grasping. To increase the robustness of the glove, EGP II was designed to have a minimal number of components using a single material. A kinematic model of the system was used to optimize the design parameters of an antagonistic tendon routing system on a single actuator for various hand sizes and repeated actuations. Experiments were conducted on two subjects with SCI to verify the grasping performance of EGP II. EGP II has a compact glove and an actuation system that can be placed on a desk or wheelchair, with the weights of 104 g and 1.14 kg, respectively.