Iron Hand
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Bioservo Technologies Aktiebolag |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 4 850 951 |
| Project duration | May 2014 - April 2017 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The ironHand project aimed to facilitate older adults experiencing hand function limitations due to ageing and/or age-related disease(s), such as rheumatism, arthritis or stroke, in using their hands in daily life. As people get older, one of the functions that often declines is grip strength. This can have a dramatic impact on the quality of life of older adults. Within the ironHand, hand grip is supported through a wearable soft-robotic glove and by dedicated hand exercise games on a laptop. In this way, older adults can be empowered to participate in working and/or social life.
Expected results and effects
During the project, the project partners identified the user needs of older adults, patients and their therapists in home and clinical settings. Two configurations of the system were needed: One orthotic system consisting of the glove in an assistive mode using soft robotics with sensors built into the glove that detects the movement intention of the user and one therapeutic system that uses the glove in measurement and feedback mode in combination with training exercises implemented as computer games on a PC. The prototypes were evaluated and tested in a total of 186 users.
Planned approach and implementation
A user-centred approach was implemented in the ironHand project, by involving older adults (55+), their caregivers and therapists throughout technical development in an iterative fashion, to enhance the chance for adoption of the technology in the end. Four development iterations of the glove and therapeutic software were performed by the technical partners and each iteration of prototypes were tested on end-users by the clinical partner and end-user organisations. Feedback from the tests were constantly fed back as input to development.