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Design of pre-trained shape memory alloy actuators for finger rehabilitation

Research Abstract

Soft robotic hand exoskeletons have become a prominent and reliable tool for assisting in rehabilitation training to restore hand motor function. While many soft exoskeletons have been developed in recent decades, there remains a clear need for compact, flexible, and portable solutions suitable for both daily living activities and rehabilitation. The objective of this research is to develop a novel structural design for a soft rehabilitation glove using pre-trained SMA wires to aid in regaining hand and finger motion. We explore various actuator design patterns, including rectangular, outward coil, inward coil, small sinusoidal, large sinusoidal, and butterfly models. The selected actuator design is applied to a prototype glove and experimentally validated on human fingers. The resulting pre-trained SMA-based glove is lightweight, weighing only 15 g, and can produce a maximum force of 15 N.

Research Authors
Venkatesan Vellaiyan, Myeongho Jeong, Youngshik Kim, Abdul Manan Khan, Vishwanath Bijalwan, Buhyun Shin, Shuaiby Mohamed
Research Date
Research Journal
Sensors and Actuators A: Physical
Research Pages
116838
Research Publisher
Elsevier
Research Vol
394
Research Year
2025