Experimental and computational analysis and testing of wearable hand tremor control orthoses

Hand tremors are among the most prevalent neurodegenerative movement disorders, causing involuntary upper-limb oscillations that significantly impair patients' quality of life. While medications and therapy provide limited relief, wearable tremor suppression devices offer a promising non-invasive alternative. A hand tremor absorber, typically passive or active, is designed to counteract involuntary shaking through mechanical or electronic means. The importance of the proposed design lies in its ability to deliver high-performance, multi-axial tremor suppression without motors, power sources, or restrictive bracing, addressing critical gaps in comfort, wearability, and real-world usability that limit existing solutions. This paper presents the analysis and optimisation of a novel passive, omnidirectional hand tremor absorber that achieves substantial amplitude reduction while preserving natural hand motion. Using a full-scale mannequin arm tremor simulator and MATLAB-based parametric modelling (MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA), key design parameters were optimised across the clinically relevant 3-7 Hz frequency range. Results demonstrate up to 79% unidirectional and 73% omnidirectional tremor suppression. A compact, donut-shaped orthosis integrating dual perpendicular absorbers was developed to effectively dampen complex, multi-directional tremors, achieving ∼75% reduction in severe cases with a total device weight of only 330 g. By combining passive operation, lightweight ergonomics, and multi-axis efficacy, this design offers a practical, patient-centered solution that overcomes the bulk, cost, and invasiveness of current alternatives. Future work will validate these results in human trials to assess real-world impact on functional independence and quality of life.