Bilateral Hand Rehabilitation Device Asymmetric Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rehabilitation of hands, particularly for individuals with hemiparesis, is challenging due to the complexity of hand movements and the need for retraining undamaged brain parts to control paralyzed limbs, which requires innovative devices that facilitate effective wrist and finger exercises.
Innovation Solution
A bilateral hand rehabilitation device with asymmetric finger grip members and a mounting assembly that allows for simultaneous opposite movement, enabling the unaffected hand to assist the affected hand in grasp and release exercises, combined with an interactive gaming system for enhanced user engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bilateral hand rehabilitation device is designed to enable simultaneous opposite movement of finger grip members, then the effectiveness of neuroplastic recovery and rehabilitation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the asymmetric coupling mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by designing an asymmetric coupling mechanism where the left and right finger grip members are coupled in a non-symmetric manner. This allows one hand to perform a grasp movement while the other performs a release movement simultaneously, enabling effective neuroplastic recovery training for hemiparesis patients without requiring complex symmetric bilateral coordination
2Ease of operation
If the finger grip members are made moveable to facilitate grasp and release movements, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the asymmetric coupling mechanism required to coordinate both sides
Solution Approach 1:
The device applies self-service by allowing the user's own unaffected hand to power the movement of the affected hand through the asymmetric coupling mechanism. The unaffected hand's grasp movement automatically drives the release movement of the affected hand, eliminating the need for external motors or complex actuation systems while maintaining ease of operation
Data Source
AI summary
A bilateral hand rehabilitation device is disclosed. The device includes a pair of left and right handlebar members that are fixedly coupled or connected together. The device further includes a pair of moveable left and right finger grip members, one for each of the handlebar members. Each finger grip member being elongate and having a longitudinal axis that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of its respective handlebar member, and each finger grip member being moveably mounted with respect to its respective handlebar member for movement toward and away from the handlebar member to facilitate a user finger grasp and release movement when in use. The device further includes an asymmetric connection mechanism that operatively couples the pair of finger grip members to each other for simultaneous asymmetric movement of the finger grip members such that the movement of one finger grip member toward or away from its respective handlebar member causes the other finger grip member to move in the opposite direction away or toward its respective handlebar member.