3D Printed Soft Pneumatic Actuators with Intent Sensing for Hand Rehabilitative Exoskeletons

Abstract

Loss of functional motor skills are common and often require patients to undergo rehabilitation so that they have a chance at motor recovery. Advancement in technology has seen to a rise in the use of robotic technology in conducting rehabilitative exercises that are traditionally carried out by physiotherapists. In recent years, soft robotic exoskeletons, using pneumatic-based actuation in particular, have gained much interest due to their compliant characteristics and safe operating conditions. In order to carry out complex task-based rehabilitative exercises, these soft pneumatic actuators must ideally be able to move with multiple degrees of freedom or minimally, in a bidirectional motion. Majority of the research covering soft actuators can only achieve finger flexion with some providing passive finger extension. Non-invasive intent detection in the control of these exoskeletons is also lacking in sensing both finger flexion and extension. In this paper we present our work on a fold-based bidirectional 3D printed intent-sensing soft pneumatic actuator (ISPA) that can achieve bidirectional motion and provide intent detection for finger flexion and extension for application in upper limb rehabilitative exoskeletons.