Haptic system for hand rehabilitation integrating an interactive game with an advanced robotic device

A haptic system for hand rehabilitation is presented that combines robotics and interactive virtual reality to facilitate repetitive performance of task specific exercises for patients recovering from neurological motor deficits. A two degree of freedom robotic interface allows coordinated motions of the forearm and the hand (pronation/supination and grasp/release, respectively). It is driven by two novel Electro-Rheological Fluid (ERF) based hydraulic actuators. Tests were conducted to characterize these actuators, and feed-forward controllers were developed for their force/torque control. A virtual reality environment (maze game) was developed in which the robot applies force fields to the user as the user navigates the environment, forming a haptic interface between the patient and the game. Proof of concept testing was performed on the virtual environment to analyze the use interaction of haptic feedback and a virtual game.