Work

Design of a low-cost mechanical 3D-Printed hand orthosis for grasping assistance in activities of daily living

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The ability to grasp objects has a significant impact on the independence of individuals following a stroke, a spinal cord injury, or for those who are living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In most cases, physical rehabilitation is not sufficient to regain the hand function necessary for day-to-day life. Hand orthoses capable of providing grasping assistance in activities of daily living are therefore crucial to a more independent lifestyle. However, most available options struggle to offer an acceptable balance between cost, size, weight and functionality, resulting in limited use in practice. This article presents a low-cost, 3D-printed hand orthosis that relies solely on mechanical elements to aid in finger flexion. An underactuated, flexible design for the fingers with nylon strips as spring blades was used to achieve a design that costs only 27% of the price of comparable commercially available options, as well as being very lightweight and easily customizable. It was also demonstrated that rigid thumb supports allowed the orthosis to be used in the majority of daily grasping tasks. Finally, the use of the proposed mechanism was shown to be able to provide up to 4 N of flexion assistance to the finger when using a medium wrap grip.

Source: Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering

DOI: 10.1177/20556683261422642

Authors: Juliette Boucher Grenon, Charles Doyon, Thierry Laliberté, Alexandre Campeau-Lecours

Institutions: Université Laval, Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale

Language: English

Topic: Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics

Subfield: Biomedical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,100