Isolated orthosis for thumb actuation
AssigneesChildren's Medical Center Corporation, President and Fellows of Harvard College
InventorsHani M. Sallum, Leia Stirling, Annette Correia
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Abstract
An orthosis system includes an orthotic device adapted to be worn on the hand of a subject that includes at least one brace component coupled to one or more fingers of the hand and including at least one joint permitting movement of one or more fingers. One or more actuators can be connected to each joint to cause movement of the joint. A control unit can be provided to control each of the actuators to control the movements of each joint separately. The control unit can be operated by the subject or a clinician to facilitate everyday tasks or for treatment or therapy.
Claims16
An orthotic system comprising:
- an orthotic support element adapted to be worn on the hand of a subject, the orthotic device including at least one brace component connected to the support element and coupled to at least one finger of the hand of the subject and including a first pivot joint permitting movement of the at least one finger in a first dimension;
- a first actuator connected to the first pivot joint such that actuation of the actuator causes movement of the first pivot joint in the first dimension;
- and
- a control unit connected to the first actuator and providing first control signals to the first actuator to control the actuation of the first actuator.
A method of using an orthotic system comprising:
- providing an orthotic support element adapted to be worn on the hand of a subject, the orthotic device including at least one brace component connected to the support element and coupled to at least one finger of the hand of the subject and the at least one brace component including a first pivot joint permitting movement of the at least one finger in a first dimension, the orthotic system also including a first actuator connected to the first pivot joint such that actuation of the actuator causes movement of the first pivot joint in the first dimension and a control unit connected to the first actuator and providing first control signals to the first actuator to control the actuation of the first actuator;
- the control unit including at least one user interface element to provide input to the control unit;
- operating the at least one user interface element to provide input to the control unit whereby the at least one finger is caused in a range of motion according to the first pivot joint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.