Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes
Chung, S. 2025. A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/39b9f4e0-289e-4fe5-b6a8-c77206987e...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613823489277952 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Chung, Sung bok |
| author2 | Venter, Martin Philip |
| author_browse | Chung, Sung bok Venter, Martin Philip |
| author_facet | Venter, Martin Philip Chung, Sung bok |
| author_sort | Chung, Sung bok |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Chung, S. 2025. A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/39b9f4e0-289e-4fe5-b6a8-c77206987e0d |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132153 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:42:15.919Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132153 A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes Chung, Sung bok Venter, Martin Philip Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering. Robotic exoskeletons Assistive computer technology Robotics -- Human factors Human-computer interaction UCTD Chung, S. 2025. A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/39b9f4e0-289e-4fe5-b6a8-c77206987e0d Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A 2021 review on assistive hand exoskeletons for rehabilitation found that soft robotic gloves largely overlooked joint forces and the finger-actuator contact interaction, focusing primarily on control strategies to fit one patient’s hand for a specific motion. This work contributes to the field by establishing a design framework for assessing the bending behaviour of the finger-actuator interaction through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and musculoskeletal simulation. The goal of the study is to create predictive models that determine joint rotational stiffness coefficients, allowable reaction moments at joints, and pressure control adjustments for soft actuator designs. The final aim is to control the actuator to perform tendon-gliding exercises (TGEs) for various hand dimensions. The study explores the effects of design modifications made to Pneumatic Network Actuators (PNAs). These modifications are evaluated using a dummy finger model. While the current state-of-the-art soft robotics technology relies on trial-and-error, we take a systematic approach to characterising an actuator’s sub-unit response using predictive models for bending and moment generation. This simplifies the design process by utilising reduced-order models to assess the actuator’s performance based on force balance quantitatively. The pipeline successfully conceptualised and validated two TGEs when considering a uniform cascade of actuator sub-units with fixed dimensions for the middle finger. Reduced-order model predictions were validated through 2D FEA simulations and physical experiments using a dummy finger. Considering adjusted actuator sub-unit dimensions (length and width) enabled four out of five actuator topologies to be achieved. The final design included a wedge at the actuator’s tip to compensate for the bending angle required to achieve TGEs. Predictive models were determined to be capable of estimating joint force requirements for the index, middle, ring and little fingers, achieving a minimum R2 value of 0.86 while maintaining model significance at a p-value threshold of 0.02. An automated Python script was developed to generate actuator topologies, demonstrating the robustness of the framework in designing patient-specific actuators. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ’n Ondersoek oor ondersteunende eksoskelette vir handrehabilitasie in 2021 het getoon sagte robotiese handskoene gee min aandag aan gewrigskragte en die kontakinteraksie tussen vinger en aktuator, en fokus hoofsaaklik op beheerstrategieë vir ’n spesifieke beweging met een hand. Hierdie studie dra tot die veld by deur ’n ontwerpraamwerk op te stel om deur middel van Eindige Element Analise (FEA) en muskuloskeletale simulasie die buiggedrag van vinger-aktuator-interaksie te assesseer. Die doel van die studie is om voorspellende modelle te skep wat die koeffisiënte van die rotasiestyfheid van gewrigte, toelaatbare reaksiemomente by gewrigte en drukbeheeraanpassings aan ontwerpe vir sagte aktuators te bepaal. Die einddoel is om die aktuator te beheer om tendonstrekoefeninge vir verskillende handafmetings uit te voer. Die studie ondersoek die effek van wysigings aan die ontwerp van Pneumatiese Netwerk Aktuators (PNA’s). Dié wysigings word geëvalueer met behulp van ’n fopvingermodel. Waar die jongste tegnologie vir sagte robotika op probeer-en-tref staatmaak, volg ons ’n sistematiese benadering om die reaksie van ’n aktuator se ubeenheidreaksie uit te beeld en voorspellende modelle vir buigbeweging- en momentgenerasie te gebruik. Dit vereenvoudig die ontwerpproses deurdat verminderde-orde modelle gebruik word om die aktuator se werkverrigting op grond van kragbalans kwantitatief te evalueer. Die pyplyn het met sukses twee tendonstrekoefeninge gekonseptualiseer en gevalideer vir wanneer ’n eenvormige kaskade van aktuatorsubeenhede met vaste dimensies vir die middelvinger oorweeg word. Die geldigheid van erminderde-orde modelvoorspellings is bekragtig deur 2D FEA-simulasies en fisiese eksperimente waarin ’n nagemaakte vinger gebruik is. Die oorweging van aanpassings aan die dimensies (lengte en breedte) van aktuatorsubeenhede het dit moontlik gemaak om vier uit vyf ktuatortopologieë te verwesenlik. Die finale ontwerp het ’n wig aan die aktuator se bopunt ingesluit om te kompenseer vir die buigingshoek wat vir tendonstrekoefeninge nodig is. Daar is vasgestel dat voorspellende modelle in staat is om die gewrigskragvereistes vir die indeks-, middel-, ringvinger en pinkie te beraam, met ’n minimum R2-waarde van 0.86 wat bereik is, terwyl ’n statisties beduidende p-waardedrempel van 0.02 gehandhaaf is. ’n Geoutomatiseerde Python-skrip is ontwikkel om aktuator-topologieë te genereer, wat die robuustheid van die raamwerk in die ontwerp van pasiënt-spesifieke aktuators demonstreer. Doctoral 2025-05-28T07:20:36Z 2025-05-28T07:20:36Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132153 en Stellenbosch University xvi, 191 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Robotic exoskeletons Assistive computer technology Robotics -- Human factors Human-computer interaction UCTD Chung, Sung bok A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes |
| title | A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes |
| title_full | A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes |
| title_fullStr | A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes |
| title_full_unstemmed | A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes |
| title_short | A design process for a wearable hand-assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes |
| title_sort | design process for a wearable hand assistive soft robotic device allowing flexion and extension for different hand sizes |
| topic | Robotic exoskeletons Assistive computer technology Robotics -- Human factors Human-computer interaction UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132153 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chungsungbok adesignprocessforawearablehandassistivesoftroboticdeviceallowingflexionandextensionfordifferenthandsizes AT chungsungbok designprocessforawearablehandassistivesoftroboticdeviceallowingflexionandextensionfordifferenthandsizes |