Finger and wrist rehabilitation system based on soft robotics

Soft robotics have been shown to offer benefits in physical hand rehabilitation therapies. However, most existing proposals focus solely on adults, neglecting the distinct biomechanical characteristics of children. Moreover, these proposals focus on systems designed for either finger or wrist rehabilitation, overlooking that effective hand rehabilitation therapies requires coordinated movements of fingers and the wrist. Accordingly, this study presents the design, simulation, and validation of a pediatric rehabilitation system that enables finger pulp pinch and wrist flexion–extension movements. The actuator design process considers the biomechanical characteristics of children. The actuators are constructed using a material rarely mentioned in the literature: RTV type 6 — Silika Moldes e Insumos. The mechanical tests are performed in accordance with the ASTM D412 standard to simulate it using finite element analysis in ANSYS software. The ANSYS fitting source is used to extract material coefficients from the fitted Yeoh model. Subsequently, the manufacturing of both actuators is described in detail, followed by testing using a proposed pneumatically controlled system. Our comprehensive experimental validation tests evaluate the actuators’ force output, kinematic hysteresis, fatigue, maximum breaking point, and safety factors, ensuring confidence in the system’s performance. Finally, a prototype of the finger and wrist rehabilitation system is presented.