Individuals with hand paralysis resulting from C6-C7 spinal cord injuries frequently rely on tenodesis for grasping. However, tenodesis generates limited grasping force and demands constant exertion to maintain a grasp, leading to fatigue and sometimes pain. We introduce the MyHand-SCI, a wearable robot that provides grasping assistance through motorized exotendons. Our user-driven device enables independent, ipsilateral operation via a novel Throttle-based Wrist Angle control method, which allows users to maintain grasps without continued wrist extension. A pilot case study with a person with C6 spinal cord injury shows an improvement in functional grasping and grasping force, as well as a preserved ability to modulate grasping force while using our device, thus improving their ability to manipulate everyday objects. This research is a step towards developing effective and intuitive wearable assistive devices for individuals with spinal cord injury.

翻译：患有C6-C7脊髓损伤导致手部瘫痪的个体常依赖腱固定效应进行抓取。然而，腱固定效应产生的抓取力有限，且需持续施力维持抓握，易导致疲劳甚至疼痛。我们提出MyHand-SCI系统——一种通过电机驱动外肌腱提供抓取辅助的可穿戴机器人。该用户驱动装置采用新型的基于油门式腕关节角度控制方法，实现独立同侧操作，使用者无需持续伸展腕关节即可维持抓握。针对一名C6脊髓损伤患者的初步案例研究表明，使用该设备后功能性抓取能力与抓取力均得到改善，且保留了对抓取力的调节能力，从而提升了其操控日常物品的能力。本研究为开发有效且直观的脊髓损伤患者可穿戴辅助设备迈出了重要一步。