Adjustable Rigid-Soft Wearable Hand Robot With Magnetorheological Cable-Driven Mechanism for Grasping Assistance

Abstract

Stroke patients often experience hand dysfunction, requiring effective assistance. While cable-driven wearable robots have advanced, challenges persist in anchor ring design and actuation system. Specifically, a trade-off exists between material comfort and anchor point stability, as well as between actuator versatility and control simplicity. To address these challenges, this article proposes an adjustable rigid-soft wearable hand robot with a magnetorheological cable-driven mechanism. The adjustable rigid-soft coupling ring enhances both comfort and stability, demonstrating significantly improved mechanical performance compared to both the rigid-soft ring and the silicone ring of the same size. The wearable structure integrates the proposed adjustable anchor ring and a ripple strap design for better adaptability. Additionally, the magnetorheological actuation system balances versatility and control simplicity, enabling coordinated motion, adaptive grasping, independent finger control, and mechanical safety by selectively activating specific magnetorheological fluid. Finally, the proposed system's performance and effectiveness in assisting grasping have been confirmed through experiments.