Design of a compact finger-integrated mechanism with robust kinematics for hand exoskeleton

Abstract

Compactness, accurate kinematic transmission, wearable convenience, safety and applicability are important factors for wearable hand exoskeletons. Currently, integrating all the factors into an exoskeleton is still difficult. Traditionally, matching center of rotations (CoR) between finger joints and exoskeletons is able to ensure accurate kinematic transmission, however lacks wearable easiness and applicability in some degree. Bypassing this difficulty, this paper introduces a novel compact wearable mechanism of a finger exoskeleton which does not need to match rotation centers to human joints, while possessing robust kinematic properties. The wearable structure presents compactness, wearable easiness and safety, while theoretical results prove movement and force transmission robustness.