Robotic devices for rehabilitation and assistance are becoming crucial tools for improving the life quality of people with disabilities. The hand is one of the most affected upper-limb parts, but also fundamental for the subject’s interaction with the external environment. Wearability and portability, safety and comfort, lightness and small sizes, independent finger movement, efficacy in daily activities, sense-of-touch preservation, and affordability are the main features such devices should have. This paper will present an in-depth study of a thumb module for wearable hand exoskeletons, designed as a base concept to be adapted to the other fingers. Specifically, it exploits a new hybrid architecture (meaning that rigid and soft elements are included in the finger mechanism) to reduce the overall dimensions while remaining effective in force transmission. An embodiment of the mechanism is also presented and tested. As well as turning out to be small, light, and cheap, the new concept design demonstrates a minimum coverage of the finger range of motion of about 84% and an exerted force up to 16.78 N.

用于康复和援助的机器人设备正在成为改善残疾人生活质量的重要工具。手是受影响最严重的上肢部位之一，也是受试者与外部环境互动的基础。可穿戴便携、安全舒适、轻便小体积、手指独立运动、日常活动功效、触觉保存、经济实惠是此类设备应具备的主要特征。本文将对可穿戴手部外骨骼的拇指模块进行深入研究，该模块被设计为适应其他手指的基本概念。具体来说，它采用了一种新的混合架构（意味着手指机构中包含刚性和软元件）来减小整体尺寸，同时保持有效的力传递。还提出并测试了该机制的实施例。新的概念设计不仅体积小、重量轻、价格便宜，还展示了约 84% 的手指运动范围的最小覆盖率和高达 16.78 N 的作用力。