Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 51-4inkOmslag | Page 71

UE performance with a soft-robotic glove in elderly patients
in a small group (n = 8) of participants (only women)
with diverse pathologies. Secondly, it might be that
participants were not completely familiarized with
use of the system (as discussed above). Thirdly, even
though we attempted to simulate an ADL task, it is not
possible to mimic an ADL situation precisely and still
standardize it for research purposes, due to additional
factors, such as cognitive load and environment, influ-
encing task performance. Subsequent testing in a home
situation is suggested to assess the effect of the glove
on functional outcomes and its impact on every­day
life. Fourthly, the task was only partly adapted to the
participants’ abilities. Although the capacity of par-
ticipants was considered by adjusting the workspace
to their reaching range of motion and selecting the
heaviest object they could lift, the personal maximum
performance was not precisely tested.
All in all, when exploring the effect of the wearable
soft-robotic ironHand glove on movement execution in
elderly people, both positive and negative influences
of using a soft-robotic glove during a simulated ADL
task, in terms of movement kinematics, were found.
In contrast to previous studies, a negative influence on
total time needed to perform a task was absent, using
either light or heavy objects. In a situation in which an
ADL, such as holding or carrying tableware, groceries
or other weighted household items, is represented (ob-
ject ≥ 1,000 g), participants might have adapted their
movement execution due to the perceived confidence
while wearing the glove. However, compensation
for an unknown situation or loss of sensation due to
wearing a glove may have affected the performance of
the reach-and-grasp task that can easily be performed
without assistance (100 g object). Longer usage of the
glove in ADL might overcome effects that are present
due to unfamiliarity with glove usage. The information
obtained can be used for improving the design of wear­
able robots for the hand, and to better understand how
these systems can be applied successfully in practice.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study is partly funded by the Active and Assisted Living
(AAL) programme (AAL-2013-6-134), via ZonMw (the Nether-
lands), Vinnova (Sweden) and SERI (Switzerland).
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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