ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we present a hand rehabilitation system for patients suffering from paralysis or contracture. This system consists of two components: a hand rehabilitation machine, which moves human finger joints by using motors, and a data glove, which enables control of the movement of the finger joints attached to the rehabilitation machine. The machine is based on the arm structure type of hand rehabilitation machine; a motor indirectly moves a finger joint via a closed four-link mechanism. We used a wire-driven mechanism and a coupled mechanism for the 278distal interphalangeal (DIP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints. These mechanisms render the machine lightweight, resulting in a wider range of motion than that obtainable in conventional systems. The design specifications for the mechanisms and the experimental results are described in this chapter.
