Control schemes in soft hand rehabilitation exoskeleton

Abstract

In recent years, rehabilitation exoskeletons have become a rapidly developing technology for rehabilitating and aiding people with various types of hand functional disabilities. However, one of the intractable problems is the lack of methods that can effectively convert the intentions of wearers to the motions of exoskeletons. In order to systematically understand the working principles and operation methods of some advanced control strategies, and to explore their potential. This review introduces three existing and modern control schemes in soft robotic hand exoskeleton from the perspective of their target, analysis methods and operating ways, with practical applications in every strategy. Then, the remaining context explores individual advantages and drawbacks to discuss the opportunities and challenges met in some state-of-the-art patterns that relate the bio-signal to the movement of robotic hand exoskeletons. Finally, the conclusion deduces that the prospective control schemes are the development of hybrid control architectures that synergistically integrate complementary advantages from multiple methodologies. Such hybrid approaches are expected to enhance the rehabilitation efficacy of robotic prosthetic devices significantly, optimizing patient-specific functional recovery outcomes and providing flexible rehabilitation plan.