Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : June 06, 2021 - June 08, 2021
Hemiplegia is a severe paralysis on half of the body caused by cerebrovascular disease. Damaged hand motor function takes long time to recover compared to other places. Therefore, self-rehabilitation at home is important after a patient has finished rehabilitation by a therapist at hospital and returned home. However, the evaluation of hand motor function is difficult since it involves not only a simple control of a finger but also dexterous control with separated finger motions. To this end, we have developed a small and light automated finger motor function evaluation device, which has five load cells on each finger and is designed for natural pinching and grasping postures. The device can measure the degree of normality of a finger function by a combination of finger pressures. By using it, a patient can know the condition of the paralysis and daily achievements of self-rehabilitation at home. We measured grasp and pinch actions. The measured finger pressure reflects difference between these two motions.
