Abstract:
Cheap solutions for exoskeletal gloves that are powered by physical motions of body are very less in the
market with many of them requiring electronic setups and programmable devices to work. The
exoskeletal wearable equipment is widely developed to help/assist in human body motion. The need of
such devices is much more than ever predicted owing to the day by day increase in number of patients
with stroke and paralysis or the use is not even limited to patients but such devices can be used as an
additional support for those who are healthy as well. Another factor regarding available devices is their
weight which is very important while considering usage specially by elderly patients. Orthotics is a field
in which design and development of those medical devices are carried out which act to support, aid or
modify the functional and structural characteristics of neuromuscular and skeletal system of human body.
Various Robotic Exo-Gloves have been tested in labs for development of assistive devices for stroke
patients to make them capable of performing ADL. However mostly the systems developed are either very
complex or they are not compliant and even become source of difficulty for patients. This can have
adverse effects on the joints and motor function of the body and thus not feasible. This research deals
with the evaluation of an upper limb assistive device for gripping motion in both 1 and 2 DOF mainly for
stroke patients and also for healthy individuals with weak joints or in elderly people. The purpose of this
study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a body powered and wearable Exo glove for stroke patients.
