Multi-Body Simulation of a Dynamic Hand Orthosis based on a Prestressed Compliant Structure Incorporating the Human Hand

Many dynamic hand orthoses use one degree of freedom joints, such as hinge joints. Therefore, these orthoses can only partially replicate the complex, multi-axis movement of the hand. A possible solution for this is the use of prestressed compliant structures as the basis for orthoses. Determining the joint forces in the wrist and optimizing the dynamic orthosis to influence these forces as well as acting muscle forces are important steps in the development of these orthoses. For this reason, in this work multi-body simulation models of an orthosis with human hand models are presented. Based on these theoretical investigations, more detailed orthosis models as well as initial prototypes of prestressed compliant dynamic hand orthoses can be developed.