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. 2025 Feb 21;10(3):129.
doi: 10.3390/biomimetics10030129.

A Pneumatic Soft Glove System Based on Bidirectional Bending Functionality for Rehabilitation

Xiaohui Wang  1   2 , Qinkun Cheng  1   2 , Zhifeng Wang  1   2 , Yongxu Lu  1   2 , Zhaowei Zhang  1 , Xingang Zhao  1
Affiliations

A Pneumatic Soft Glove System Based on Bidirectional Bending Functionality for Rehabilitation

Xiaohui Wang et al. Biomimetics (Basel). .

Abstract

Stroke-related hand dysfunction significantly limits the ability to perform daily activities. Pneumatic soft gloves can provide rehabilitation training and support for individuals with impaired hand function, enhancing their independence. This paper presents a novel pneumatic soft robotic system for hand rehabilitation featuring bidirectional bending actuators. The system comprises a pneumatic soft glove and a pneumatic control platform, enabling various rehabilitation gestures and assisting with finger grasping. The main bending module of the pneumatic soft actuator features a three-stage cavity structure, allowing for a wider range of finger rehabilitation training gestures and greater bending angles. The reverse-bending module uses a trapezoidal cavity design to enhance the reverse-bending capability, effectively facilitating finger extension motion. The pneumatic control platform is simple to set up, but effectively controls the actuators of the soft glove, which enables both main and reverse bending. This allows individuals with hand impairments to perform various gestures and grasp different objects. Experiments demonstrate that the pneumatic soft glove has a measurable load capacity. Additionally, the pneumatic soft glove system is capable of executing single-finger movements, a variety of rehabilitation gestures, and the ability to grasp different objects. This functionality is highly beneficial for the rehabilitation of individuals with hand impairments.

Keywords: assisted grip; bidirectional bending actuator; pneumatic soft glove; rehabilitation gestures.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The structure of the soft actuators. (a) structure of the other fingers (except for the thumb); (b) structure of the thumb.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Parameters of a single air cavity of the main bending module after expansion.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Parameters of a single air cavity of the reverse-bending module after expansion.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Material of soft actuator-Ecoflex 00-50; (b) vacuum pump.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Finger molds. (a) Mold for index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger; (b) mold for thumb.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Fabrication process diagram of the middle finger of the soft actuator.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Design of the pneumatic system. (a) pneumatic circuit diagram; (b) pneumatic control platform.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The main bending of the soft actuator’s finger joints and the overall reverse bending of the soft actuator in the horizontal direction. (a) entity models of the middle finger and thumb during bending; (b) air pressure values of the bending of the middle finger and thumb.
Figure 9
Figure 9
The main bending of the soft actuator’s finger joints and the overall reverse bending of the soft actuator in the direction of against gravity. (a) entity models of the middle finger and thumb during bending; (b) air pressure values of the bending of the middle finger and thumb.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The main bending of the soft actuator’s finger joints and the overall reverse bending of the soft actuator in the direction of gravity: (a) entity models of the middle finger and thumb during bending; (b) air pressure values of the bending of the middle finger and thumb.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Abaqus simulation sequence diagrams of the soft actuator of the middle finger and the thumb under optimal air pressure. (a) middle-finger Abaqus simulation sequence diagrams; (b) thumb Abaqus simulation sequence diagrams.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Bending angle values of the entity model and Abaqus simulation model of the soft actuators.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Bending angle values of the entity model and theoretical model of the soft actuator of the middle finger.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Fingertip force measuring device.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Fingertip forces for main and reverse bending of the soft actuator at different air pressures.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Forces at each joint and reverse-bending fingertip forces of the soft actuators under air pressure of 70 kPa.
Figure 17
Figure 17
The prosthetic model and initial state of wearing the soft glove. (a) the prosthetic model; (b) the initial state of the prosthetic model wearing the soft glove; (c) the thin-film pressure sensor.
Figure 18
Figure 18
The flexion states of the index finger under different air pressures. (a) the prosthetic hand model; (b) the human hand.
Figure 19
Figure 19
The flexion states of the middle finger under different air pressures. (a) the prosthetic hand model; (b) the human hand.
Figure 20
Figure 20
The flexion states of the ring finger under different air pressures. (a) the prosthetic hand model; (b) the human hand.
Figure 21
Figure 21
Finger flexion angles of both the prosthetic hand model and the human hand.
Figure 22
Figure 22
Soft glove-assisted rehabilitation gestures. (a) the prosthetic hand model; (b) human hand.
Figure 23
Figure 23
Gripping objects by prosthetic hand with soft glove. (a) a rectangular box; (b) a foam; (c) a blackboard eraser; (d) a PLA mold.
Figure 24
Figure 24
Grasping objects with two grasping postures by human hand wearing soft glove. (a) full grip; (b) flat pinch.
Figure 25
Figure 25
Five-finger tip forces through two grasp types.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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