Conception of a Mechanical System for Rehabilitation of Hand Function for Use in Medical Training Therapy

The hands are regarded as the most intensively used parts of the human body. They are used to perform very different activities, and to carry out necessary daily needs. Due to their exposed location and frequent use, hands have a high risk of injury. Given the natural way in which humans use their hands, their major importance only becomes apparent after they are injured. Permanent damage is not limited to physical performance, but can also have psychological effects on the patient. Therefore, the fullest possible rehabilitation of the hand is desirable. Only a very limited number of therapeutically necessary movement tasks can be taken on nowadays using the current technical systems for hand rehabilitation. Motivated by these facts, a mechanotherapy system is conceived, which is fluid-driven and modular. In this paper, the conception of the mechanotherapy system will be limited to one finger. However, the developed solution is transferable to the remaining fingers.