Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : June 05, 2019 - June 08, 2019
We have been proposing a finger rehabilitation support device for hemiplegic patients that can be used at home. This device instructs the patient to voluntarily lift the fingers and provides assistance when the patient is impossible to lift. In previous studies, we have shown an automated evaluation method which monitors the level of involuntary finger movement. However, a detailed procedure of the finger rehabilitation has not been clarified. In this paper, we show a detailed procedure of the finger rehabilitation. Especially, we discuss the safety issues during assisting finger lift. Specifically, we consider the following issues: (1) To avoid unwanted contraction of finger muscles by stretch reflex, the speed of finger lift assist is limited. (2) To ensure not to exceed the maximum excursion of MP joint, the angle of finger lift bar is constrained.
