Development and Testing of Hand Exoskeletons (eBook)

Supervisor’s Foreword 7
Parts of this thesis have been published in the following documents: 8
Acknowledgements 9
Contents 11
Nomenclature 13
Acronyms 15
1 Introduction 16
1.1 Overall Framework 17
1.2 State of the Art of Hand Exoskeletons 19
1.3 Contribution and Thesis Structure 21
References 22
2 Mathematical Background 25
2.1 Kinematic Analysis and Synthesis 26
2.2 Kineto-Statics 32
2.3 Lagrangian Formulation 33
References 37
3 Optimization-Based Scaling Procedure 38
3.1 Hand Motion Capture 41
3.1.1 Protocol for Hand Motion Analysis 42
3.1.2 Hand Motion Analysis Setup 42
3.2 Hand Model 43
3.2.1 Finger Trajectory Definition 45
3.2.2 COR Definition 46
3.2.3 Alignment with Horizontal Plane 48
3.3 Optimization Process 49
3.3.1 Target Trajectory Definition 50
3.3.2 Determination of the Optimal Exoskeleton 53
3.4 Tests and Results 56
References 57
4 ABS Hand Exoskeleton Prototypes: Experimental Results 59
4.1 First Prototype: Kinematic Validation 59
4.2 Second Prototype: Optimization Manufacturability Assessment 67
4.3 Third Prototype: Final Solution 72
References 79
5 Aluminum Hand Exoskeleton Prototype 80
5.1 Topology Optimization 80
5.2 General Architecture 82
5.3 Model Description 83
5.3.1 Test Case Definition and Benchmark Test 83
5.3.2 Design Space Definition 86
5.3.3 Objective Function and Optimization Constraints 87
5.3.4 Optimization Algorithm 89
5.3.5 Geometry Reconstruction 91
5.4 Topology Optimization Results 92
5.4.1 Optimization Model Generation 93
5.4.2 Optimized Device Assessment 96
5.5 Design for Manufacturing 97
5.5.1 Actuation System Design 100
5.5.2 Back Frame Design 103
5.5.3 Joints Couplings Solutions 104
5.6 Proof of Concept 104
References 107
6 Conclusion 109
References 110
Appendix Back Frame Topology Optimization 111
Appendix Author's Biography 116