Robotic glove to help rehabilitate stroke patients

A new robotic glove, EsoGlove, has been developed by a research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) to help rehabilitate patients who have lost hand function due to injuries or nerve-related conditions like strokes

Made of soft materials, the EsoGlove has sensors to detect muscle signals and conforms to the natural movements of the human hand.

Raye Yeow, a researcher from NUS who worked on the glove, said: "EsoGlove is unique as it is made entirely of soft components and does not require complicated mechanical setups. The main body of the glove is made of fabric with soft actuators embedded."

EsoGlove is connected to a pump-valve control system that modulates the air pressure to direct the soft actuators.

When the actuators are pressurised by air, they apply distributed forces along the length of the finger to promote finger movements, such as bending, extending and twisting, to support different hand motions. Each actuator also functions independently and provides assistance to each finger separately.

The robotic glove can be applied in a table-top version for bedridden patients, as well as a waist-belt version for patients who are mobile and recovering at home.                                                                  

Yeow said: “For patients to restore their hand functions they need to go through rehabilitation programmes that involve repetitive tasks such as gripping and releasing objects. These exercises are often labour intensive and are confined to clinical settings.

“EsoGlove is designed to enable patients to carry out rehabilitation exercises in various settings – in the hospital wards, rehabilitation centres and even at home.

“Equipped with technology that can detect and interpret muscle signals, EsoGlove can also assist patients in daily activities, for instance by guiding the fingers to perform tasks such as holding a cup.”

Yap Hong Kai, another researcher who worked on the EsoGlove, said: "As the soft actuators in the EsoGlove are made from non-ferromagnetic materials, they are suitable for use in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.

“We hope that the robotic glove can contribute towards investigating the brain's activity in relation to motor performance during hand rehabilitation, and unravel the functional effects of soft rehabilitation robotics on brain stimulation."

Yeow and his team plan to start pilot clinical studies at the National University Hospital in February 2016 to validate the device's performance, as well as to obtain patient and clinical feedback so as to further refine the design of the device.

The team has also filed a patent for EsoGlove, and will start a spin-off company to commercialise the device.