Design of a haptic device for finger and hand rehabilitation

A five-bar linkage mechanism with two active and three passive (end-effector rotations) degrees-of-freedom was designed as a haptic device and integrated inside a developed application in Matlab/Simulink using Handshake proSENSE toolbox for the haptic and graphic rendering, as well as the control loop and the external communication, achieving a real-time system for virtual reality based rehabilitation. The five-bar mechanism was developed in order to cover the reachable workspace of a human finger, and having a high manipulability in its workspace and low inertia. It can generate forces up to 20 [N] at the end-effector, which is suitable for finger and hand exercise rehabilitation. The system was evaluated and tested successfully. A hand rehabilitation case study and their results are presented. These results are demonstrative on the feasibility of the proposed design and application. © 2010 IEEE.