Researchers have designed a wearable neurorobotic system designed to support hand movement and touch sensations for people with hand impairments caused by a neurological injury, enabling such individuals to perform everyday tasks more independently.
From the Medical University of Vienna, in collaboration with ETH Zurich, Technical University of Munich, and Medical Faculty Belgrade, this system termed as “SensoExo”, combines a wearable hand exoskeleton with a neurostimulation sleeve that sends electrical stimulation through the skin to specific nerves and muscles in the forearm.
The technology is designed to assist with finger movement while also providing tactile feedback. Sensors on the fingers detect touch and gripping force, sending this information back to the sleeve to provide users with a better sense of touch.
According to researchers, the system may be adapted to each person’s needs. Within the conducted clinical trial involving 14 patients, individuals with greater motor difficulty benefitted from the additional motor support provided, while participants with sensory loss used the tactical feedback to better control their grip when handling fragile items.
While the technology has been noted as a prototype and is not ready for everyday use yet, researchers will continue testing the system with larger groups of participants and different types of neurological conditions to better explore how it could be used in rehabilitation and everyday life.