Designing and Manufacturing of Upper Limb Lifting Orthosis (Kayer)

Abstract

The upper limb plays a crucial role in daily life activities, self-care, work, leisure, and social activities. It enables a person to perform essential tasks, such as eating, drinking, writing and searching the environment, leading to increased cognition and intelligence in children. Various disorders in children (for instance, Erb palsy, cerebral palsy, hemiplegia, muscular dystrophy, neuropathy) and adults (such as stroke and central, and peripheral nerve damage) can affect the functioning of the upper limb. While mobility aids exist for individuals with lower limb disabilities, there is a lack of suitable technical solutions for those with upper limb disorders because of structural and joint complications. Minimum muscle strength, at level 3 or higher, is necessary for limb movement, and this strength can be affected by neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, resulting in a limited range of motion or no movement.

Keywords

• upper limb orthosis
• design
• manufacture
• kayer