Design of a lightweight passive orthosis for tremor suppression

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2020 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-020-00673-7 · Published: March 18, 2020

Assistive Technology Rehabilitation Biomedical

Simple Explanation

This paper presents a new, soft, lightweight, task asjustable and passive orthosis for tremor suppression. The device is designed to be comfortable and wearable, addressing the problem of low patient acceptance due to bulkiness and weight of existing orthoses. The orthosis uses an air-filled structure placed on the dorsal side of the wrist, which can be inflated or deflated on-demand for specific daily activities. When inflated, the structure creates a counterforce to movements, suppressing tremor. The developed orthosis significantly reduces tremor power during daily living activities, such as drinking from a cup, pouring water, and drawing a spiral. The patient also reported a subjective perception of reduced tremor.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

One 76-year-old male with action and rest tremor caused by Parkinson's Disease

Evidence Level

Case Study

Key Findings

1
The developed orthosis has a lightweight design (33 g) with emphasis on comfort and wearability.
2
The soft orthosis significantly reduces tremor power for daily living activities, such as drinking from a cup, pouring water and drawing a spiral, by 74 to 82% (p = 0.03).
3
The orthosis demonstrates potential for fine motor control movements, as confirmed by digital analysis of drawn spirals.

Research Summary

The study introduces a novel Task-Adjustable Passive Orthosis (TAPO) for tremor suppression, featuring a lightweight, textile-based design with an integrated air-structure. The orthosis is manually adjustable, allowing users to inflate or deflate it according to specific task requirements. Experimental results demonstrated significant tremor power reduction (74-82%) during activities like drinking, pouring, and drawing spirals. The orthosis also showed promise in enhancing fine motor control, as evidenced by improved spiral drawing. The TAPO offers improved comfort and wearability compared to traditional rigid orthoses, while maintaining comparable tremor suppression efficacy. Its design allows for individual adjustment of air pressure, balancing comfort and performance.

Practical Implications

Assistive Technology

Provides a lightweight and unobtrusive assistive technology for individuals with tremor, improving their ability to perform daily living activities.

Variable Stiffness Applications

The air-structure technology can be applied to other movement disorders, like spasticity, or integrated into exoskeletons and exosuits for variable stiffness implementation.

Customizable Orthotics

The orthosis can be customized to individual user preferences and needs, allowing for tailored tremor suppression and improved comfort.

Study Limitations

1
The study is based on a single patient case, limiting the generalizability of the results.
2
The efficacy of the device may vary depending on the amplitude and frequency of the tremor.
3
Rest tremor was not evaluated within this study.

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