Tobias Bützer


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Bützer

First Name

Tobias

ORCID

0000-0003-1066-4700

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2016 - 201922020 - 20211
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Publications 1 - 3 of 3
  • PEXO - A Pediatric Whole Hand Exoskeleton for Grasping Assistance in Task-Oriented Training
    Item type: Conference Paper
    Bützer, Tobias; Dittli, Jan; Lieber, Jan; et al. (2019)
    2019 IEEE 16th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)
    Children with hand motor impairment due to cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or pediatric stroke are considerably affected in their independence, development, and quality of life. Treatment conventionally includes task-oriented training in occupational therapy. While dose and intensity of hand therapy can be promoted through technology, these approaches are mostly limited to large stationary robotic devices for non-task-oriented training, or passive wearable devices for children with mild impairments. Here we present PEXO, a fully wearable actuated pediatric hand exoskeleton to cover the special needs of children (6 to 12 years of age) with strong impairments in hand function. Through three degrees of freedom, PEXO provides assistance in various grasp types needed for the execution of functional tasks. It is lightweight, water proof, and inherently interacts safely with the user. It meets mechanical requirements such as force, fast closing movement, and battery lifetime derived from literature and discussions with clinicians. Appealing appearance, user-friendly design, and intuitive control with visual feedback of forearm muscle activity should keep the user motivated during training in the clinic or at home. A pilot test with a 6-years old child with stroke showed that PEXO can provide assistance in grasping various objects weighing up to 0.5 kg. These are promising first results on the way to make hand exoskeletons accessible for children with neuromotor disorders.
  • Design and Characterization of a Lightweight and Fully Portable Remote Actuation System for Use with a Hand Exoskeleton
    Item type: Journal Article
    Nycz, Christopher J.; Bützer, Tobias; Lambercy, Olivier; et al. (2016)
    IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
  • Fully Wearable Actuated Soft Exoskeleton for Grasping Assistance in Everyday Activities
    Item type: Journal Article
    Bützer, Tobias; Lambercy, Olivier; Arata, Jumpei; et al. (2021)
    Soft Robotics
    Worldwide, over 50 million people suffer from persistent hand impairments after stroke or spinal cord injury (SCI). This results in major loss of independence and quality of life. Robotic hand exoskeletons can compensate for lost motor function and assist in grasping tasks performed in everyday activities. Several recent prototypes can partially provide this assistance. However, it remains challenging to integrate the dexterity required for daily tasks in a safe and user-friendly design that is acceptable for daily use in subjects with neuromotor hand impairments. We present the design of RELab tenoexo; a fully wearable assistive soft hand exoskeleton for daily activities. We present sleek mechanisms for a hand module that generates the four most frequently used grasp types, employing a remote actuation system that reduces weight on the hand. For optimal assistance and highest adaptability, we present various design and control options to customize the modular device, along with an automated tailoring algorithm that allows automatically generated hand modules for individual users. Mechanical evaluation shows that RELab tenoexo covers the range of motion and the fingertip forces required to assist users in up to 80% of all grasping activities. In user tests, we find that the low weight, unintrusive size, high wearing comfort, and appealing appearance are beneficial for user acceptance and usability in daily life. Finally, we demonstrate that RELab tenoexo leads to an immediate improvement of the functional grasping ability in a subject with SCI. © 2021 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Publications 1 - 3 of 3