HAND AND WRIST BILATERAL REHABILITATION DEVICE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY FOR UPPER LIMB REHABILITATION

Abstract

A novel passive hand and wrist bilateral rehabilitation device coupled with a virtual reality is invented for stroke survivors and elderly people. The device comprises a coaxial spherical parallel manipulator for 3 degrees of freedom spherical wrist orientation and cross-connected cable system for bilateral symmetrical exercises in passive mode training. A VR platform was developed to increase motivation from the users. Experiments with fifteen healthy right-handed individuals were conducted to measure wrist range of motion and EMG activation in order to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the entire system. The result showed that the device was capable of providing passive mode training to induce muscle activation and the VR successfully provided an immersive platform to its users.