Design of a bidirectional force feedback dataglove based on pneumatic artificial muscles

A bidirectional force feedback dataglove actuated by pneumatic artificial muscles is introduced which has simpler exoskeleton structure and exerts bidirectional force only on the fingertips. Moreover, its fewer attachments can reduce the effect of the attachment looseness on the accuracy of position and force control. It meets all needs of virtual reality and the requirement of hand rehabilitation as well. Bidirectional force and movement are achieved by producing antagonistic torque with an antagonistic pair of pneumatic artificial muscles similar to the antagonistic muscles of human beings. The dataglove can support all four degrees of freedom measurement with the non-contact anisotropic magnetoresistive sensors. The cantilevered beam force sensor is integrated into the linkage of exoskeleton structure. A single PC-based control system is introduced. The dataglove can simulate the sensation of grasping rigid and elastic objects in virtual environment. At last, the clinic application in the rehabilitation of injured fingers is presented.