Iranian Researchers Design, Develop Rehabilitation Gloves
“Nowadays, by developing rehabilitation robots, researchers seek to minimize the time and cost usually spent during the rehabilitation period,” Mohammad Mahdi Dalaei, a graduate from Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) and the project manager of "Designing and Implementing Rehabilitation Gloves."
“In Iran, due to the lack of rehabilitation centers and an aging population and patients who have suffered a stroke and the resulting disabilities, the need for a hand rehabilitation robot that can be used in the form of a product for the ordinary people was felt,” he added.
“In this research, it was decided to design and manufacture a light-weight and inexpensive rehabilitation glove to help people with a disabled hand,” he added.
“The product made in this project, due to the features considered for it, such as light-weight, bidirectional function (extending fingers) and mirror workout, could meet the needs of this research, which is to rehabilitate the hands of patients in all stages of rehabilitation,” the researcher continued.
He stated that polymer sheets and thermal stitching were used in making the glove, which is a new method in the production of soft robotic gloves. According to him, the design of the stitches of this glove is also a new method compared to previous researches.
“The manufactured product is exemplary. Compared to its foreign requirements, it is cheaper and more effective,” he went on to say.
Stating that they used soft actuators to make the glove, he said,“The soft robots of past researches are often made of silicon, which require molding and takes time to produce it. That's why we used polymer sheets to make soft actuators.”
“The data-x-items produced in this research can be used in rehabilitation and physical therapy centers. Also, due to the fact that the product does not need a physical therapist (instructor) during the rehabilitation exercise, patients with impaired hand can continue their workout at home with this product on their own,” the AUT researcher noted.
“The next stage is clinical trial phase to test the device on patients and gaining feedback from physiotherapists. After feedback, if needed, the product will be improved and reaches the phase of commercialization and its mass production will start,” the researcher went on to say.
Stating that their rehabilitation glove does not have an internal equivalent, Dalaei said, “The foreign-made equivalents of this product is also made using hoses, which are bulkier and heavier and the fingers cannot be flexed easily.”
Referring to the other competitive advantages of the research-based glove as compared to its rivals, the AUT researcher said, “Being lighter and easier to use, the lower prices, and the capability to allow fingers to flex actively are among the advantages of the product.”
The glove, which was designed by researchers of the AUT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Research Institute of New Technologies was awarded at the first national festival of rehabilitation technologies held at the Tehran-based University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR) as the best rehabilitation equipment.
4155/i
