The human hand plays a fundamental role in daily activities and the development of fine motor skills, particularly during childhood; however, traumatic injuries or neurological disorders affecting hand joints can severely impair functionality and compromise the long-term quality of life in pediatric populations. Robotic gloves equipped with pneumatic actuators have emerged as promising tools to support rehabilitation in these cases, offering precise and adaptive assistance to restore movement. Despite their potential, current devices exhibit notable limitations, particularly in terms of durability and uniformity of pressure distribution in the actuators, which often result in premature material failure and reduced therapeutic effectiveness. This study aimed to optimize the design of pneumatic finger actuators for pediatric rehabilitation by evaluating how actuator geometry influences fatigue life and pressure performance. Using room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) Type 6 silicone for its favorable mechanical properties, three actuator designs were fabricated with polylactic acid (PLA) molds produced through 3D printing and subjected to fatigue, pressure, and deformation tests. The results showed that geometry had a substantial impact on performance: Design 1 withstood 3393 cycles at 62 kPa, whereas Design 2 failed after 1293 cycles at 51 kPa. Fatigue analysis confirmed that internal reinforcements and the distribution of stress concentration zones play a critical role in enhancing long-term durability.
Autor(es):Milagros J. Noriega; Victoria E. Abarca; Dante A. Elias
Año: 2025
Título de la revista: IEEE Xplore
Ciudad: Lima, Perú
Página inicial - Página final: 1-7
Url: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11244697