A Soft Robot for Finger Rehabilitation Driven By Dielectric Elastomer Air Pump: Structure Design and Performance Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents the development of a soft robot for finger rehabilitation driven by a dielectric elastomer (DE) air pump. The focus is on patients with stroke-induced loss of hand movement function, who require specific rehabilitation training. The working mechanism of the DE air pump is thoroughly explained. A FE simulation of DE film under prestretching using ABAQUS is conducted, and the mechanical behavior of DE under biaxial and equiaxial stretching is obtained. The study also includes transient dynamic analyses of the DE film, including modal analysis and harmonic response analysis, which demonstrate favorable mechanical properties at the simulation level. Performance experiments of the end effector validate that the developed soft robot effectively meets the performance requirements for finger rehabilitation. The findings from these investigations hold significant implications for the development and optimization of soft robotic systems in the context of medical rehabilitation applications.