Exoskeleton glove helps stroke survivors find their rhythm

After a stroke, patients commonly need rehabilitation to relearn to walk, talk, or perform daily tasks. Research has shown that besides physical and occupational therapy, music therapy can help stroke patients to recover language and motor function. For musicians who suffered a stroke, playing music may itself be a skill that needs to be relearned.

“Here we show that our smart exoskeleton glove, with its integrated tactile sensors, soft actuators, and artificial intelligence, can effectively aid in the relearning of manual tasks after neurotrauma,” said Dr Maohua Lin, an adjunct professor at the Department of Ocean & Mechanical Engineering of Florida Atlantic University, and lead author of a paper detailing the work in Frontiers in Robotics and AI. 

Lin and colleagues designed and tested a ‘smart hand exoskeleton’ in the shape of a multi-layered, flexible 3D-printed robo-glove, which weighs 191g. The palm and wrist areas are designed to be soft and flexible, and the shape of the glove can be custom-made to fit each wearer.