The Robotic Sixth Finger: A Wearable Compensatory Tool to Regain Grasping Capabilities in Paretic Hands

Among the most promising field of applications of wearable robotics there are the rehabilitation and the support in activities of daily living (ADL) of impaired people. In this paper, we propose two possible designs of a robotic extra-finger, the Robotic Sixth Finger, for grasping compensation in patients with reduced hand mobility, such as post-stroke patients. The idea is to let the patients be able to grasp an object by taking advantage of the wearable device worn on the paretic limb by means of an elastic band. The Robotic Sixth Finger and the paretic hand work jointly to hold an object. Adding a robotic opposing finger is a promising approach that can significantly improve the grasping functional compensation in different typologies of patients during everyday life activities.