Design and Performance Verification of a Hybrid Robotic System for Hand and Wrist Rehabilitation

Stroke-induced impairments in hand and wrist function severely impact patients' activities of daily living (ADL). To aid in daily activities, this paper proposes a two-degree-of-freedom hybrid rehabilitation system for hand and wrist joint rehabilitation. This hybrid system consists of an arm exoskeleton and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), designed with an integrated structure that houses motor drive modules and an embedded microcontroller within the exoskeleton, forming a compact and portable system. The motor drive module is controlled by the embedded microcontroller, facilitating wrist rotation movements. The embedded microcontroller includes an FES drive module to achieve hand opening and grasping actions. Utilizing the proposed system, various functional movements of the upper limb can be achieved through the aforementioned basic actions. This paper completes the prototype design of the hybrid robot and validates its assisting performance through mechanical and mathematical indicators. The feasibility of the system is also demonstrated through a moving object task.