This paper presents a 1-DOF robot for hand rehabilitation exercises for hemiplegic patients. The robot provides the cylindrical grasp movement, which is one of the dominant Activities of Daily Living. Linkage Sliding Mechanism allows the proposed robot to be a simple and lightweight structure. Motion test for the healthy subjects are carried out to verify the performance of the robot. Consequently, it was confirmed that the proposed robot was suitable for performing hand rehabilitation treatment.

This paper describes the development of a hand module of NREX (National Rehabilitation Center Robotic Exoskeleton) designed to assist individuals with sustained neurological impairments such as stroke and spinal cord injuries. To construct a simple and lightweight hand module, the robotic hand adopts a mechanism driven by a motor and moved by two four-bar linkages. The motor facilitates the flexion-extension movements of the thumb and the other four fingers simultaneously. Thus, an individual using the robotic hand module can effectively grip and release objects related to daily life activities. The robotic hand module has been designed to cover the range of motion with respect to its link distance. This hand module can be used in therapeutic rehabilitation as well as for daily life assistance. In addition, this hand module can either be mounted on an NREX or used as a standalone module.

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of robot-assisted hand rehabilitation(AmadeoⓇ) on hand motor function in chronic stroke patients. This study used a single-subject experimental design with multiple baselines across individuals. Three chronic stroke survivors with mild to sever motor impairment took part in study. Each participants had 2 weeks interval of starting intervention. Participants received robot-assisted therapy(45min/session. 3session/wk for 6wks). Finger active range of motion(AROM) was assessed by Range of Assessment program in AmadeoⓇ, and test-retest reliability was verified using Pearson correlation analysis. To investigate effect of AmadeoⓇ, finger AROM was measured immediately after each sessions and Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Upper extremity, Motor Activity Log, Nine hole peg board test and Jebsen-Taylor hand motor function test were assessed at pre-post intervention. Results were analyzed by visual analysis and comparison of pre-post tests. The test-retest reliability of Range of Assessment was good(r=.99). After robot-assisted therapy, finger AROM of participant 1, 2, and 3 was respectively improved by 18%, 3.6%, and 6% each. Hand motor function of participant 1, 3 was improved on all four tests, but not effect in participant 2. Robot-assisted hand rehabilitation could improve finger AROM and effect on hand motor function in chronic stroke patients.