Whether in assembly, remote manipulation, the service robotics field or medical therapy, there are many conceivable application areas for the ExoHand. The pneumatic exoskeleton is pulled on like a glove, supports the human hand from outside and thus improves its strength and stamina.
With the aid of the ExoHand, the user’s individual fingers can be moved and their strength is thereby increased. Conversely, the exoskeleton can also mimic the movements of the hand and transfer them to a robot hand in real time. Force feedback enables the person to feel what the robot is gripping. This means that the human sense of touch can also be used over large distances and can even be applied at the interface between the real and virtual worlds.
The shape of the ExoHand is adapted to the user’s own hand and made of polyamide using selective laser sintering (SLS). Eight pneumatic actuators are mounted on the exoskeleton, which enable the fingers to move, open and close precisely. The corresponding pressure in the chambers is controlled by means of piezo proportional valves . Linear potentiometers detect the position of the fingers and determine the force applied by the drives. A CoDeSys controller processes all position and force values and enables precise alignment of the second hand.
Despite the high degree of automation, there are still many assembly activities in industry that can only be carried out by humans. This often results in monotonous and tiring movements that are constantly repeated. Such activities become challenging for older employees in particular. The ExoHand takes the strain off the user and could thus improve ergonomics in the workplace of the future.
In combination with a brain–computer interface (BCI), the ExoHand can be used as an active artificial hand to help stroke patients with symptoms of paralysis to renew the missing connection between brain and hand. For this purpose, an electroencephalography (EEG) signal measured at the head detects the patient’s desire to open or close the hand.