Kinematic Analysis of a Thumb-Exoskeleton System for Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract

Stroke is one of the major causes of loss if dexterity in human hand, preventing effective self-care and employment opportunities among the patients. In this thesis, an exoskeleton device for thumb rehabilitation is discussed. Subsequently, a mathematical framework for modeling the exoskeleton is developed. A kinematic analysis for the coupled motion of the thumb-exoskeleton system is presented. Later on, in the thesis a closed-loop inverse kinematics scheme is implemented. The thumb-exoskeleton is a redundant system. The redundancy is resolved at the velocity and acceleration levels to limit the motion of the thumb within the natural range of motion of the thumb.