A Soft Approach to the Exoskeleton Wearable Device for Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD)

TMD case requires correct and sufficient guide to the patients’ mandible movement. It is the most ideal application where robotic device is demanded for the movement training apart from the surgical operations done by the doctors. This paper presents a two-soft-actuator robotic joint design applied on an exoskeleton soft wearable device with substantial improvements over the existing training device. The soft device helps reduce tremendous weight of the device and reserves the system compliance considering patients’ comfort and safety, which brings highly capacity of wearing and self-training. The pneumatic-control-based trajectory planning enables customization of the device for the purpose of satisfying accommodating patients’ individual difference. The design, modeling, fabrication, and validation of an exoskeleton soft wearable device for TMD are presented in detail. Both on-table unit and the on-skull testing are conducted and discussed, showing the remarkable ability of guiding the mandible to move according to the real human nature, paving the way for further clinical applications of such disease.