Design and Development of the Cable Actuated Finger Exoskeleton for Hand Rehabilitation Following Stroke

Abstract

Finger impairment following stroke results in significant deficits in hand manipulation and the performance of everyday tasks. While recent advances in rehabilitation robotics have shown promise for facilitating functional improvement, it remains unclear how best to employ these devices to maximize benefits. Current devices for the hand, however, lack the capacity to fully explore the space of possible training paradigms. Particularly, they cannot provide the independent joint control and levels of velocity and torque required. To fill this need, we have developed a prototype for one digit, the cable actuated finger exoskeleton (CAFE), a three-degree-of-freedom robotic exoskeleton for the index finger. This paper presents the design and development of the CAFE, with performance testing results.