Design of Tendon-Actuated Robotic Glove Integrated with Optical Fiber Force Myography Sensor
Antonio Ribas Neto,
Julio Fajardo,
Willian Hideak Arita da Silva,
Matheus Kaue Gomes,
Maria Claudia Ferrari de Castro,
Eric Fujiwara,
Eric Rohmer
Affiliations
Antonio Ribas Neto
Department of Computer Engineering and Industrial Automation, School of Electrical and Computing Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-852, Brazil
Julio Fajardo
Department of Computer Engineering and Industrial Automation, School of Electrical and Computing Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-852, Brazil
Willian Hideak Arita da Silva
Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Devices, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-860, Brazil
Matheus Kaue Gomes
Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Devices, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-860, Brazil
Maria Claudia Ferrari de Castro
Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Centro Universitario FEI, Sao Bernardo do Campo 09859-901, Brazil
Eric Fujiwara
Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Devices, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-860, Brazil
Eric Rohmer
Department of Computer Engineering and Industrial Automation, School of Electrical and Computing Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-852, Brazil
People taken by upper limb disorders caused by neurological diseases suffer from grip weakening, which affects their quality of life. Researches on soft wearable robotics and advances in sensor technology emerge as promising alternatives to develop assistive and rehabilitative technologies. However, current systems rely on surface electromyography and complex machine learning classifiers to retrieve the user intentions. In addition, the grasp assistance through electromechanical or fluidic actuators is passive and does not contribute to the rehabilitation of upper-limb muscles. Therefore, this paper presents a robotic glove integrated with a force myography sensor. The glove-like orthosis features tendon-driven actuation through servo motors, working as an assistive device for people with hand disabilities. The detection of user intentions employs an optical fiber force myography sensor, simplifying the operation beyond the usual electromyography approach. Moreover, the proposed system applies functional electrical stimulation to activate the grasp collaboratively with the tendon mechanism, providing motion support and assisting rehabilitation.
