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A User Study Method on Healthy Participants for Assessing an Assistive Wearable Robot Utilising EMG Sensing

Cem Suulker, Alexander Greenway, Sophie Skach, Ildar Farkhatdinov, Stuart Charles Miller, Kaspar Althoefer

TL;DR

The paper tackles the challenge of objectively evaluating assistive hand devices using healthy participants by proposing an EMG-based, MVC-normalized assessment. It introduces a textile, soft robotic glove with pneumatic actuators and enhancements from elastic-band ruffles to boost bending and blocking force. In a healthy-participant study, the authors report a mean device-assisted muscle activity of about $18\%$ of $MVC$, with the glove reducing finger workload by up to $70\%$ at a $20\ \mathrm{N}$ pinch and delivering $15$–$23\ \mathrm{N}$ of assistive force; activation also increases EMG by roughly $6.5\%$ of $MVC$, likely due to haptic effects. The work demonstrates a feasible EMG-based evaluation framework for soft wearable robotics and underscores both the potential of textile-based actuators and the need to carefully interpret EMG changes arising from device-induced sensations.

Abstract

Hand-wearable robots, specifically exoskeletons, are designed to aid hands in daily activities, playing a crucial role in post-stroke rehabilitation and assisting the elderly. Our contribution to this field is a textile robotic glove with integrated actuators. These actuators, powered by pneumatic pressure, guide the user's hand to a desired position. Crafted from textile materials, our soft robotic glove prioritizes safety, lightweight construction, and user comfort. Utilizing the ruffles technique, integrated actuators guarantee high performance in blocking force and bending effectiveness. Here, we present a participant study confirming the effectiveness of our robotic device on a healthy participant group, exploiting EMG sensing.

A User Study Method on Healthy Participants for Assessing an Assistive Wearable Robot Utilising EMG Sensing

TL;DR

The paper tackles the challenge of objectively evaluating assistive hand devices using healthy participants by proposing an EMG-based, MVC-normalized assessment. It introduces a textile, soft robotic glove with pneumatic actuators and enhancements from elastic-band ruffles to boost bending and blocking force. In a healthy-participant study, the authors report a mean device-assisted muscle activity of about of , with the glove reducing finger workload by up to at a pinch and delivering – of assistive force; activation also increases EMG by roughly of , likely due to haptic effects. The work demonstrates a feasible EMG-based evaluation framework for soft wearable robotics and underscores both the potential of textile-based actuators and the need to carefully interpret EMG changes arising from device-induced sensations.

Abstract

Hand-wearable robots, specifically exoskeletons, are designed to aid hands in daily activities, playing a crucial role in post-stroke rehabilitation and assisting the elderly. Our contribution to this field is a textile robotic glove with integrated actuators. These actuators, powered by pneumatic pressure, guide the user's hand to a desired position. Crafted from textile materials, our soft robotic glove prioritizes safety, lightweight construction, and user comfort. Utilizing the ruffles technique, integrated actuators guarantee high performance in blocking force and bending effectiveness. Here, we present a participant study confirming the effectiveness of our robotic device on a healthy participant group, exploiting EMG sensing.
Paper Structure (7 sections, 4 figures)

This paper contains 7 sections, 4 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Assistive Glove
  3. Materials
  4. Fabrication
  5. Results
  6. Assessment of the Assistive Glove
  7. Conclusions

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: The arm of a participant when grasping a force sensor integrated object. Using two sEMG sensors, we monitor how much muscle activity is involved a) when the assitive device is off, b) when the assistive device is on.
  • Figure 2: The soft robotic glove prototype in the action of a) closing and opening of the hand, b) grasp assistance, c) lifting an iron (1.3 kg) without a hand in it.
  • Figure 3: Blocking force output and flexion angle versus pressure graphs for stretch fabric actuator, and elastic band integrated actuator. Integration of the elastic band significantly boosts the performance.
  • Figure 4: Bar plot that shows muscle contraction assisted by the glove (green), and the muscle contraction needed for the task (red), for different force intensity of tasks.