Iron Hand
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Eskilstuna Kommun - ReHabenheten Vård- och omsorgsförvaltningen |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 492 441 |
| Project duration | May 2014 - April 2017 |
| Status | Completed |
Important results from the project
The ironHand project aimed to facilitate for elderly people who, due to aging and /or age-related diseases, rheumatism, arthritis or stroke, experienced limitations in hand function in the use of their hands in daily life. Within the project a portable soft- robotic glove was used to support performance of functional tasks in the daily life ( home or leisure), and to enable hand training with a developed computer-based application via dedicated training games on a laptop at home. In this way, elderly people was given the opportunity to actively participate in activities in everyday Life.
Expected long term effects
Usertests showed early moderate to high usability, well accepted by the users. Supporting features showed better results compared to training features. The improved system showed a direct supportive effect on pinch-grip strength, but not for performing functional tasks. After final design and adjustment and 4 weeks of use at home, the results showed increased grip strength, pinch-grip strength, and improved performance of functional data indicating a therapeutic effect (based on preliminary analyzes).
Approach and implementation
The IronHand project was conducted user-centered in collaboration between participating partners. User requirements were collected through focus groups which gave input to continued development. The systems were tested for usability and user acceptance where the results were used for redesign of ironHand with subsequent testing of its supportive effect. Improvements that emerged were used for further development and was tested clinically via a randomized study where the systems were evaluated as supportive technical aids or exercise tools for 4 weeks in the users homes.