Study on thermoplastic polyurethane soft actuator for hand rehabilitation

Journal Information

J. Hefei Univ. Tech. (Nat. Sci.), Sept.2023, Vol.46 No.9: 1166-1170, 1184

DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1003-5060.2023.09.003

Authors

LIU Caixia $ ^{1,2} $, PAN Tingting $ ^{2} $, SUN Yifan $ ^{2} $, MA Fei $ ^{2} $, HUANG Ying $ ^{2} $

(1. School of Physics, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China; 2. School of Microelectronics, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China)

Abstract and Keywords

Abstract: Aiming at the problems of complex manufacturing process and low auxiliary force of soft rehabilitation training gloves, segmented pneumatic soft actuators with unidirectional and bidirectional soft joints were developed based on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and with the help of 3D printing technology. The simulation analysis on the bending properties of the soft actuators was conducted with TPU material hyperelastic constitutive model established by finite element software, and the bending angle, motion trajectory and grip strength of the soft actuators were tested. The results show that the soft joints satisfy the demand of the maximum hand joint bending angle of $ 120^{\circ} $, the bending state of the soft actuators is in line with the hand motion trajectory, and the maximum grip strength is up to 11.5 N. The directly 3D printed soft actuator has simple manufacturing process and strong auxiliary power, and can be used for finger rehabilitation training. It provides a more safe and effective rehabilitation training equipment for patients with hand function injury.

Keywords: thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU); 3D printing; soft joint; segmented pneumatic soft actuator; rehabilitation training gloves

作者信息

刘彩霞 $ ^{1,2} $，潘亭亭 $ ^{2} $，孙一帆 $ ^{2} $，马菲 $ ^{2} $，黄英 $ ^{2} $

(1. 合肥工业大学物理学院, 安徽合肥 230601; 2. 合肥工业大学微电子学院, 安徽合肥 230601)

摘要和关键词

摘要: 针对软体康复训练手套制作流程复杂和辅助力低等问题,文章基于热塑性聚氨酯(thermoplastic polyurethane, TPU),借助3D打印技术,研制具有单、双向软关节的分段式气动软体驱动器。通过有限元软件建立TPU材料超弹性本构模型,仿真分析软体驱动器弯曲特性,试验测试研究软体驱动器弯曲角度、运动轨迹和握力,结果表明,软关节特性满足人手关节最大弯曲角度120°需求,软体驱动器弯曲状态与人手运动轨迹相符,最高握力达11.5 N。直接3D打印的软体驱动器制作简单,辅助力强,满足手指康复训练需求,为手功能损伤患者提供一种更加安全有效的康复训练设备。

关键词: 热塑性聚氨酯（TPU）；3D打印；软关节；分段式软体驱动器；康复训练手套

Funding

浙江省“领雁”研发攻关计划资助项目（2022C03052）；中央高校基本科研业务费专项资金资助项目（JZ2020HGTB0027；JZ2020HGQA0165）

合肥工业大学学报(自然科学版)

Navigation