PFI (MCA): Self-Contained Soft Robotic Rehabilitation Device for Finger Extension Exercises

PFI (MCA)：用于手指伸展练习的自给式软机器人康复装置

• 批准号: 2321454
• 负责人: Yen-Lin Han
• 金额: $ 31.14万
• 依托单位: Seattle University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-15 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2321454&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; MCA; Self; Contained; Soft

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation – Mid Career Advancement (PFI-MCA) project is in improving accessibility to finger and hand rehabilitation for patients suffering from stroke or neurological movement disorders. In turn, it speeds up their recoveries. It could reduce the overall costs for patients with clenched fists, which present as overactive muscle activity and excessive tightness of the finger flexors, decreasing the ability to perform finger extension. To regain hand and finger motor functions, patients must engage in activity-based therapy to repeat hand- and finger-specific exercises daily. Limited access to therapy makes it challenging for patients to adhere to such a high-intensity rehabilitation routine. Hence, robotic devices that can assist and monitor these repetitive moments at a patient’s home could potentially improve access to rehabilitation and promote a more sustainable recovery process. Pneumatically actuated soft robotic rehabilitation gloves currently available on the market cannot open the fingers of a stroke patient with clenched fists. They are also difficult for patients to put on without assistance. Addressing existing rehabilitation gloves' drawbacks, this project develops a self-contained, unrestricted soft robotic device made with phase-changing materials and actuated by heat to assist finger extension rehabilitation exercises for patients with clenched fists.The proposed project will design, prototype, and test a thermally driven, self-contained soft robotic device to assist at-home hand rehabilitation for patients with clenched fists after stroke. The research merits and expected outcomes include: 1. Design and prototype a self-contained soft robotic device for finger extension exercises: Considering the ability to open fingers for patients with clenched fists, the proposed design provides active extension assistance to fingers. Using phase-changing material material-elastomer composites to form a unique curing elastomer structure, this project will design and prototype a soft robotic device that fits under the clenched fist in its neutral state and pushes fingers open when actuated. 2. Testing- Data collected from mechanical and human subject testing will be used to analyze the device's efficacy and to estimate participant numbers for future, larger-scale clinical trials to take the design one step closer to a marketable product. 3. Specifically designed survey instruments to study stroke-specific patient-reported experience measures (PREMs): Survey instruments and results could apply to others interested in PREMs for stroke patients and verify the function and specifications needed for the proposed design to support quality improvement and enhance patient-centered care.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该创新伙伴关系-中期职业发展（PFI-MCA）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是改善中风或神经运动障碍患者手指和手部康复的可及性。反过来，它加快了他们的恢复。它可以降低握拳患者的总体成本，握拳患者表现为肌肉活动过度活跃和手指屈肌过度紧张，降低了手指伸展的能力。为了恢复手部和手指的运动功能，患者必须进行基于活动的治疗，每天重复手部和手指的特定练习。有限的治疗机会使患者难以坚持如此高强度的康复常规。因此，可以在患者家中协助和监测这些重复时刻的机器人设备可能会改善康复的机会，并促进更可持续的康复过程。目前市场上可获得的气动致动软机器人康复手套不能打开具有紧握的拳头的中风患者的手指。患者在没有帮助的情况下也很难穿上它们。针对现有的康复手套的缺点，本项目开发一种独立的，不受限制的软机器人设备，该设备由相变材料制成，并由热驱动，以帮助握紧拳头的患者进行手指伸展康复练习。拟议项目将设计，原型和测试一种热驱动的，独立的软机器人设备，以帮助中风后握紧拳头的患者在家中进行手部康复。本研究的优点和预期成果包括：1.设计并制作一个用于手指伸展运动的独立软机器人设备的原型：考虑到握紧拳头的患者能够打开手指，所提出的设计为手指提供主动伸展辅助。使用相变材料材料-弹性体复合材料形成独特的固化弹性体结构，该项目将设计和原型化一种柔软的机器人设备，该设备在中性状态下适合握紧的拳头，并在启动时将手指推开。2.测试-从机械和人体受试者测试中收集的数据将用于分析设备的有效性，并估计未来大规模临床试验的参与者数量，使设计更接近可销售的产品。3.专门设计的调查工具，用于研究卒中特异性患者报告的经验指标（PREM）：调查工具和结果可以应用于对中风患者PREM感兴趣的其他人，并验证拟议设计所需的功能和规格，以支持质量改进并提高患者的生活质量。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的评估被认为值得支持。影响审查标准。