Externally Powered Hand Orthosis--High Mobility Wrist

Our purpose is to develop orthotic devices that will improve hand function for people withparalyzed upper limbs. Existing devices that allow for some hand function for people with paralyzedupper limbs are based on the World Health Organization 1954 tenodesis orthotic splint. Developmentsover the past decade have provided the possibility for devising orthoses that can be controlled by signalsfrom speech or from non-injured portions of the nervous and muscle systems. The orthotic devicesshould be capable of responding to simple commands. These commands should control simple handfunctions including grasp and release, finger-thumb pinch, and wrist extension and flexion. The researchshould include new frontiers in biomaterials, miniaturization of motors that stimulate muscle actions,complex integration of voice recognition and muscle stimulation systems, muscle and joint physics, andfunctional analyses of hand functions.