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411857

Dimensional Synthesis of a Minimum Torque Exoskeleton for Spastic Wrist Rehabilitation

Article

Last updated: 09 Mar 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Mechanical, Power, Production, Design and Mechatronics Engineering.

Abstract

Hand mobility and dexterity are crucial for daily activities, yet conditions such as stroke and wrist-related injuries can severely impair these functions. A prevalent post-stroke condition, spasticity, is characterized by high muscle tone and stiffness, making joint flexion significantly more strenuous. This study addresses the substantial torque required for effective wrist rehabilitation in stroke survivors. Our approach involves optimizing the dimensions of a Stephenson III six-bar mechanism to minimize the peak assisting torque, leveraging wrist stiffness data from stroke patients. The genetic algorithm is used to optimize the mechanism dimensions to get a nonlinear angular displacement function between the input and output links. This drastically reduces the required actuation torque. Rigorous validation of the optimized mechanism was conducted using Simscape Multibody dynamics simulation environments. Remarkably, the optimized mechanism achieves a peak actuation torque of just 1.64 N.m when assisting users with typical wrist spasticity, a stark contrast to the 11.69 N.m required when the joint is directly actuated. This research not only offers a promising avenue for developing efficient, lightweight, and cost-effective rehabilitation devices but also holds the potential to significantly enhance the quality of life for individuals with impaired wrist mobility.

DOI

10.21608/jesaun.2025.347622.1399

Keywords

Wrist exoskeleton, Stephenson III six-bar mechanism, Optimization, Dimensional synthesis

Authors

First Name

Ahmed

Last Name

Asker

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Smart Engineering Systems Research Center (SESC), School of Engineering & applied science, Nile University.Egypt

Email

a_askar@mans.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Hesham

Last Name

A. Abdou

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Production Engineering & Mechanical Design Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, Egypt

Email

heshamabdou@mans.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Omar

Last Name

Salah

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Mechatronics Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt

Email

omar7200211@yahoo.com

City

-

Orcid

0000-0003-4888-3933

Volume

53

Article Issue

2

Related Issue

51573

Issue Date

2025-03-01

Receive Date

2024-12-25

Publish Date

2025-03-01

Page Start

64

Page End

77

Print ISSN

1687-0530

Online ISSN

2356-8550

Link

https://jesaun.journals.ekb.eg/article_411857.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=411857

Order

4

Type

Research Paper

Type Code

1,438

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences

Publication Link

https://jesaun.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Dimensional Synthesis of a Minimum Torque Exoskeleton for Spastic Wrist Rehabilitation

Details

Type

Article

Created At

09 Mar 2025