Design of a 3D Printed Lightweight Orthotic Device Based on Twisted

and Coiled Polymer Muscle: iGrab Hand Orthosis

Lokesh Saharan1, Ashvath Sharma1, Monica Jung de Andrade2, Ray H. Baughman2 and Yonas
Tadesse1
1
Humanoid, Biorobotics and Smart Systems (HBS) Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Jonsson School,
2
Alan MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute,
The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080
E-mail: 1lokeshkumar.saharan@utdallas.edu and 1yonas.tadesse@utdallas.edu

ABSTRACT
Partial or total upper extremity impairment affects the quality of life of a vast number of people due to stroke,
neuromuscular disease, or trauma. Many researchers have presented hand orthosis to address the needs of rehabilitation
or assistance on upper extremity function. Most of the devices available commercially and in literature are powered by
conventional actuators such as DC motors, servomotors or pneumatic actuators. Some prototypes are developed based on
shape memory alloy (SMA) and dielectric elastomers (DE). This study presents a customizable, 3D printed, a
lightweight exoskeleton (iGrab) based on recently reported Twisted and Coiled Polymer (TCP) muscles, which are
lightweight, provide high power to weight ratio and large stroke. We used silver coated nylon 6, 6 threads to make the
TCP muscles, which can be easily actuated electrothermally. We reviewed briefly hand orthosis created with various
actuation technologies and present our design of tendon-driven exoskeleton with the muscles confined in the forearm
area. A single muscle is used to facilitate the motion of all three joints namely DIP (Distal interphalangeal), PIP
(Proximal Interphalangeal) and MCP (Metacarpophalangeal) using passive tendons though circular rings. The grasping
capabilities, along with TCP muscle properties utilized in the design such as life cycle, actuation under load and power
inputs are discussed.

Keywords: Orthotics, Biomimetic, Exoskeleton, Design, 3D Printing, TCP muscles.

1. INTRODUCTION
Muscular disorder is a cause of improper functioning of human hand, which results in loss of force and dexterity,
limiting day to day activities. Extensive research on hand orthosis has been reported in the literature [3-10], but most of
the orthotic devices are either heavy or energy demanding or expensive or lack force and dexterity. This is due to the
limitation of actuators to meet all the requirements in the design of orthotic hands. In this paper, we proposed a new 3D
printable orthotic device iGrab powered by silver coated Nylon 6,6 twisted and coiled polymeric (TCP) artificial
muscles [1]. In our previous work, we have compared the performance of several actuators [2] including TCP. TCP
muscles are actuators manufactured by extreme twisting and coiling a polymer fiber under a linearly guided load. Then,
annealing and training under the desired load to complete the fabrication process. These muscles have a larger stroke
(~49%, mandrel coiled) and high energy density compared to conventional motors. They have been used for robotic
hand application [3-6]. Related to exoskeleton applications, one of the recent studies by Sutton et. al., used TCP muscle
for wrist orthosis. We have studied these muscles extensively for robotic and prosthetic hands that can be easily
extended to orthotic hands [6]. Other applications of the TCP muscle demonstrated so far includes musculoskeletal
system[2], soft robotic skin [7] and thermostat [8]. One of the issues with the TCP muscle is the low energy efficiency,
which can be tackled using locking mechanism[9].
With regards to orthotic hands, Deshpande et al. [10] built an anatomically correct hand to understand the
biomechanical and control behavior of the actual hand. This work was the base for our test bed hand in order to study and
test our TCP muscles powered orthotic device. The test bed has a similar structure to the human hand and avoids the
need of human subject test during the development phase of the orthotic hand. The hand was designed taking a human
hand as a model, which is a better way of fabricating and testing orthotic device [11]. Designing biomimetic hand similar

Active and Passive Smart Structures and Integrated Systems 2017, edited by
Gyuhae Park, Alper Erturk, Jae-Hung Han, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 10164, 1016428
2017 SPIE CCC code: 0277-786X/17/$18 doi: 10.1117/12.2260266

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 to human skeleton and casting silicone skin over it enables the hand to have full dexterity and resemblance to a natural
human hand.
We studied the various technologies presented on orthotic hands focusing mainly on their design attributes and
actuation methods. Table I summarizes a brief review in the field of upper limb assistance, by describing the material
used, the degree of actuation (DOA), the actuator technology used to drive the mechanism, the control and sensors type,
and total weight. For instance, Colon et al. [12] proposed an assistive exoskeleton having a thumb, an index and grouped
three fingers (middle, ring and small) that are actuated using three pneumatic actuators and a polymer braided cable to
produce a force on each finger. It includes a forearm support structure, feedback sensor array, and motor control system,
constituting an exoskeleton of aluminum bands incorporated into a tight fitting glove. The device is actuated using
braided polymer cables attached to three linear actuators via a pulley system that connects to the distal bands of each
finger. The linear actuators are electromagnetic solenoids that are integrated with a control system that take sensory
input from force sensing resistors on each fingertip. Daily tasks were demonstrated, such as picking up a 5 lb. bag, a
pencil and a bottle using the exoskeleton. The control system uses a microcontroller coded to integrate data from the
fingertip sensors to actuate fingers using a battery as power supply. Goutam and Aw [13] presented an assistive device,
which is lightweight and portable and uses a differential mechanism with tendons to actuate a hand that allows free
movements of the fingers when the device is not in use. Villa and Petroff [14] presented an electro-mechanical hand
orthosis, driven using a DC motor, with a load cell feedback loop. It utilizes a pulse width modulation for speed
determination and a switch operated by a user for direction. Kudo et al. [15] designed and developed an electric motor
powered soft and lightweight glove and measured the basic performances, such as range of motion and fingertip forces.
The prototype was tested on four healthy volunteers for measurement of effectiveness.
Several efforts are being made in the control aspect as well. Ramirez et al. [16] designed and developed a hand orthosis
that uses electromyography (EMG) signals captured over an arm as input to control the device. Bryant [17] an
electromechanical orthotic glove driven by shape memory alloys and a microcontroller, which was patented in 2014.
Farrell et al. [18] investigated an upper limb training of thirteen individuals using dynamic orthosis called SaeboFlex and
showed improvement in the upper limb status with a pain-free training with no untoward consequences. Jones et al. [19]
demonstrated the design and development of a cable actuated finger exoskeleton (CAFE) that has 3 degrees of freedom
(DOF) for the index finger, which could be used for rehabilitation. Iqbal et al. [20] presented the development of an
under-actuated human hand exoskeleton, which can exert a force of 45 N. Palli et al. [21] have developed a system of
actuation by twisting strings that result in decreasing the length and causing actuation. They have presented the modeling
and control of their unique actuation system.

Table 1. Comparison of Orthotic Device

Model Authors Year Material/ Degree of Actuators Control Weight

Technology Actuation DOA/ and (kg)
Transmission Sensors
- Colon et. al. [22] 2014 ABS/ 3D 1 / Tendons Pneumatic EMG N/A
Printed Actuators
- Goutam and Aw 2014 ABS/ 3D 1 / Tendons Motor with Force N/A
[13] Printed differential Sensors
mechanism
- Kudo et. al. [15] 2014 Leather 1 / Tendons DC Motor Capacitive 0.67
Sheets Sensor 5
Myoelectric Bryant [17] 2014 Plastic/3D N/A SMA Bioelectric N/A
Hand Printer and Force
Sensors
CAF Jones et. al. [19] 2014 Aluminum 3 / Tendons Servomotor Force 0.138 (1
and Steel Sensor Finger)
- Choe et. al. [23] 2014 ABS/ 3D 1 / Tendons Servomotor No N/A
Printed
RML Glove Zhou [24] 2015 Not 1 / Tendons DC Motor Force 0.180
Specified Sensors (2 Fingers)
HX Cempini [25] 2015 Not 2 / Tendons DC Motor - 1.272
Specified
HEXOSYS Iqbal et. al. [26] 2010 Plastic 1/ Linkage DC Motor Force 1.00
Sensors (1 Finger)

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 - Iqbal et. al. [20] 2014 Plastic 1/ Mechanical DC Motor Force 1.00
Links Sensors
EXO Iqbal et. al. [27] 2015 Aluminum 1 / Mechanical DC Motor Force 0.460
and ABS Links Sensors
Plastic
Exo-Glove In, Hyunki et. 2015 Fabric 1 / Tendons DC Motors Load cell 0.194
al.[28]
- Surakijboworn and 2015 Plastic 1 / Tendons Not Specified - N/A
Wannasuphoprasit
[29]
ABS/ 3D 1 / Tendons Nylon - 0.1
iGrab Saharan, et al.
2017 Printed Muscles (Five
( This paper)
and Fabric Fingers)

2. DESIGN OF THE ORTHOTIC HAND EXOSKELETON (iGRAB)

The exoskeleton in this paper consists of an arm attachment, stitched fabric for the wrist and the palm with guide ways,
and three rings per finger (one for each of the three joints). The arm attachment, designed in SolidWorksTM 2015,
consists of a fixed frame on the rear end and is attached to the stitched components on the front end. The dimensions of
the exoskeleton are in accordance to a 25-year-old male adult. The exoskeleton was tested on a dummy prototype hand
(Figure 1a), designed and cast in the laboratory. The prototype resembles an actual human hand with all the three joints
per finger. The thumb has three joints, the distal interphalangeal (DIP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints are pin
joints, and the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint is a ball and socket joint to enable more degrees of freedom to the
thumb. The hand was cast using EcoFlex silicone (shore hardness 10) into a 3D printed mold containing embedded
bone-like skeleton internal structure. The dimensions of the hand prototype are in accordance to 95% of an average 25-
year old male adult [30].

The orthotic hand has one 2-ply nylon (TCP) muscle for each finger actuation, although it is designed to accommodate
two muscles per finger. Two levels on the back end (fixed frame) provisions are to facilitate two muscles per finger as
shown in Figure 1c. The TCP muscles are connected with one end of the stitched part, wrapped around the pulleys
(beads) and secured to the initial points where they connect to the tendons for each finger. The exoskeleton has rings for
each of the three joints (DIP, PIP and MCP) for every finger as shown in the Figure 1b and c. Beading wires that serve
as tendons pass through the holes on the rings for each finger, move along the guide ways and connect to the TCP
muscles at the arm attachment. The frame houses five beads, for each digit, around which the TCP muscles are wrapped
to have a longer length (Figure 1 c). The thumb is connected to the farthest bead to allow more pull during the
movement. The frame has 3 mm thickness in most features of the structure. It has three layers to support the beads with
the middle layer dividing it into two sections, to accommodate more muscles, for different movements of the fingers
such as abduction/adduction. The middle layer also prevents the downward slipping of the TCP muscles required for
proper actuation of the finger. The stitched fabric in the palm is integrated with Teflon pipes with an internal diameter of
3.175 mm to serve as the low friction guiding channels for the tendons connecting the finger rings and the TCP muscles.
The arm attachment was designed to be mounted over arm using two velcros, one at each end of the attachment. The
wearable part (fixed frame, TCP, fabric, rings, and tendons) weights approximately hundred grams for all five digits
which are lighter than many of the existing designs.

Since TCP muscles are electrothermally driven muscles; they can attain temperatures up to 250oC [1] during actuation;
therefore, thermal protection is mandatory for the users safety. The green layer below the muscles (Fig.1c) is a thermal
protection layer that contains fiber glass. This insulates the hand from the heat generated by the muscle while at the same
time protecting the hands from direct contact with muscles. A schematic diagram of a finger (Figure 1b) shows the
arrangement of the rings, passive tendon and the muscle. The Figure 1c shows the extension muscles of all the fingers.
The extension is facilitated by using an elastic rubber to make the design power efficient.

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 Figure 1. Hand Orthosis based on TCP muscles: (a) Dummy hand to mimic the human hand for testing the orthotic hand; (b)
Schematic diagram of the orthotic device; and (c) The exoskeleton fully assembled and mounted on the dummy hand.

3. ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES FOR THE ORTHOTIC HAND MADE WITH SILVER-COATED

NYLON
Multifilament silver-plated nylon 6,6 sewing thread was used for fabrication of TCP muscle by attaching one end of the
sewing thread to a rotational motor and hanging a 150-g mass (Mc, mass for coiling) hooked from the other end to keep
the sewing thread straight and taut. The sewing thread is tethered at the bottom end to prevent rotation of the tip mass. In
preparing the actuators, care was taken to insert twist into the commercial fibers only to the point of full-length coiling
under the applied weight. The silver-plated muscle was annealed by joule heating with a DC power supply (EXTECH
382270) with an input of ~0.4 W/cm for about 5 s (and about 30 s interval) during few cycles while hanging a 250-g
mass (Ma, mass for annealing). Electrothermal training of the 1-ply TCP muscle was at a periodic input power of 0.1
W/cm (square wave; 50% duty cycle, 50 s period), upon constant load of 150-g (Mt, mass during testing), for ten cycles.
Stepwise process of the muscle fabrication system is shown in Figure 2a. After these steps, the result is a 1-ply TCP,
which was braided for enhanced strength and we called it 2-ply TCP muscle.

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 Annealing

Coiling

Twist insertion

Figure 2. TCP muscle fabrication process: (a) Schematic diagram of the multifilament silver-plated TCP muscle fabrication
procedure: (i) The precursor fiber is attached to the motor from its top end and hooked with a deadweight at the bottom end while
tethered. (ii) Twist insertion in a counterclockwise direction. (iii) Continuous, regular coils are formed throughout the length of the
multifilament to form a 1-ply TCP muscle. (iv) The 1-ply TCP is annealed by joule heating. (v) TCP muscle is trained by joule
heating; (b) Schematic diagram of the typical experimental setup used to determine tensile actuation of a 2-ply muscle.

Tensile actuation of the 2-ply TCP muscles at different input power (schematic set-up as shown in Figure 2b) was
studied in order to relate the power required for the displacement of the tendons to reach the full range of digits. Figure
3a illustrates the actuation of a 2-ply TCP muscle for a 25% duty cycle for three different power cycles ranging from
0.14 W/cm to 0.21 W/cm. Tensile stroke of up to 14% was observed once 2-ply TCP muscle was powered at 0.21W/cm.

(a) (b)
180
14
0.21 w/cm 160

12
U 140

,
10
w/c 20 120

8
.14w/c)
P0,19 E 180
E
E 60
4 Top Segment
Bottom Segment
f 40 Mi0 Segment
20

00 200 00 00 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25

Time (s) Power Input(W /cm)

Figure 3. (a) Tensile actuation of a 2-ply TCP muscle upon different power input (100s period; square-wave) while loaded at
250g. (b) The relationship between the power input and maximum temperature measured at the surface along the length of a 2-ply
TCP muscle.
In order to select the conditions of input power for the actuation of the muscles that would be used for the designs
comparison, we studied the relationship between the maximum temperature at the surface of the 2-ply TCP. For these
tests, a longer period was used to ensure thermal equilibrium (50s period; 50% duty cycle). The temperature was
measured at different locations of the TCP, at the top segment, middle and bottom segment. As it can be observed, the
maximum temperature of the TCP muscle is quite similar throughout its length, and there is a direct linear relation
between the input power per length and the maximum temperature at the surface of the TCP muscle.

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 To determine the lifecycle of 2-ply TCP muscles, a cyclic test was performed at 0.184 W/cm (normalized to coil loaded
length) with a 30 s period square-wave and 50% duty cycle. Figure 4 shows the tensile actuation at 2 cycles per minute
(0.03 Hz) that results in ~ 9% stroke for more than 5200 cycles silver-plated nylon 6,6 multifilament homochiral self-
coiled yarn that lifted 11,364 times its own weight when electrothermally powered.

10
I l _I
8

4-
2-
01
0.05
i Iii
0.10 5.10 5.15 5.20 5.25
1
1

Cycles (Thousands)
Figure 4. Cycling tests for 2-ply TCP muscles at a constant load of 300g and applied power of 0.184W/cm.

The 2-ply silver-plated multifilament TCP muscle showed inferior cycling life than that reported for the coiled 76-
m diameter nylon 6,6 wrapped with carbon nanotube sheet driven at 1 Hz while lifting/lowering a 10-g load (more than
one million cycles) [1]. The reason for the shorter cycle life is believed to be due to the degradation of the heating
element. For instance, the silver coating tends to flake with time, and this would lead to inhomogeneous heating
throughout the muscle. The ease-of-manufacture of the silver-plated nylon 6,6 multifilament TCP and its low-cost in
comparison to other actuators make it a potential candidate as a consumable part for the orthotic hand.

4. CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ORTHOTIC HAND

4.1 Exoskeleton Test Setup
The dummy hand allowed us to perform several tests and study the characteristics of the device. Figure 5 shows the
schematic diagram of the orthotic hand mounted on the dummy hand. It can be easily used to the arm of human subjects
later on. Complete flexion motion of this dummy hand requires 3 N force with a linear displacement of tendon equal to 70
mm which is very close to human hand. The whole experimental setup included a remote-controlled power supply (BK
Precision 1687b), anatomically correct hand (dummy hand), exoskeleton, high-speed camera (Phantom), a computer to
acquire data and some electrical wires to power the muscles. The camera records the video of the finger flexion when the
muscles are triggered, and the position data were extracted using automated software (PCC).

Camera

Figure 5. Schematic diagram of testing setup the Orthotic Device.

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 4.2 Results and Discussion
While performing the tests, we collected data related to displacement (angles and trajectory) of all finger joints, and we
present them in Figure 6. The muscles were actuated at 0.6 A constant current for 25 seconds one by one, and the voltage
was dependent on the length of the muscle. The coordinates of the DIP, PIP and MCP joints were recorded. It can be
clearly seen from Figure 6a that the steady state DIP and MCP angles (25o) are larger than PIP joint (17o) for the index
finger. The middle finger (Figure 6b) has all the angles equal (35o). The ring finger (Figure 6c) shows angles for just PIP
and DIP joints since it was hard to locate the third joint as it was covered by the other finger joint and the camera could
not see it. The pinky finger has higher PIP joint angle of (80o) with relatively smaller DIP and MCP joint angles
attaining 30o. The middle finger achieved the steady state angle ~ 30 seconds. The angle of the thumb could not be
measured due to its motion in different planes which makes the tracking with video camera harder. All of the fingers
could reach the maximum angle in 30 seconds except for the index finger which took 25 seconds to reach the maximum
position.
Furthermore, the operating frequency may seem to be slow from a human assistive device perspective, but this will be
improved in future work using pulsed actuation. Pulsed actuation for faster TCP muscle frequency was shown in our
recent study[6]. Moreover, the synchronized motion of the fingers (grasping or manipulating objects) needs different
power to the muscles. For example, grasping requires different thumb speeds to hold the object of different shape and
sizes. So, the thumb was supplied different power accordingly. The range of motion of the orthotic hand based on TCPs
is summarized and shown in Table II.
Table II: Range of Motion of Hand Orthosis based on TCPs (All the angles are in degree) [14].

Joint Motion Index Middle Ring Pinky

(Degree) (Degree) (Degree) (Degree)
DIP Flexion/ Extension 25 35 25 30
PIP Flexion/ Extension 25 35 65 80
MCP Flexion/ Extension 17 35 - 30

30 40
-*-01 (MCP) Index Finger (a) .. O1 (MCP) Middle Finger
.8.02 (PIP) .8 02 (PIP)
d
CLi 20
.+..03 (DIP)
7, 30
L
OA
+. 03 (DIP) :f
A
AL)

d
..i
C 10
Q

OddlIrr
0 10 20 30 10 20 30 40
Time (s) Time (s)
80 80
-*. 01 (MCP) Pinky Finger
(d)
.8 02 (PIP)
. +. 03 (DIP)

Oillom""--
0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30
Time (s) Time (s)
Figure 6. Angles obtained for all three fingers (a) Index finger; (b) Middle Finger; (c) Pinky finger and (d) Ring finger when actuated
at 0.6 amperes of the current for 30 seconds.

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 4.3 Life Cycle Test on the Prototype

A life cycle test is necessary to determine a)

the reliability and consistency of the
10
prototype. Figure 7 shows the data for a
life cycle test of 100 cycles on the 5
prototype, which demonstrates a constant
0
111 i i
strain (stroke) of the muscle (a length of 0.8 b)
380 mm and diameter 1.35 mm) when 0.6
integrated into the hand. The test was 0.4
conducted on the index finger by 0.2
connecting one end of the muscle with a 0
c)
load cell and the other end with a finger. 1.5 I1I1111111111I11I11111111111111111111111II1111111111111111111111111111111111I1111111I11111111111111 -
Then, the muscle was supplied with
1
constant power cycles using a computer
0.5
controlled power supply. The muscle
generated nearly 1.5 N force for 20 % 0
500 1000 1500 2000 2500
duty cycle for a 25 second period Time (s)
actuation, at 11V without showing a loss Figure 7. Cyclic test of a finger using iGrab for 100 cycles , 5 sec power cycle,
in performance. Figure 7a&b are showing and 20-second cooling cycle (a) Voltage; (b) Current and (c) Force.
the voltage and current recorded using an
NI DAQ at 1 kHz. Figure 7c shows the force generated by the muscle using an Omega LCL-010 load cell using the same
NI DAQ at 1 kHz. This test was conducted to study the effect of the dynamic loading of a finger on the muscle
performance after integrating into the exoskeleton. This test is different form the one in section 3, because the muscle
used for cyclic test was the same in length and diameter as the one used in the orthotic hand.

4.5 Grasping Experiments

ti
Tests were conducted to check the
grasping capabilities of the
orthotic hand by actuating all the
muscles in the iGrab and putting
different objects in the palm while
gravity is downwards. Fig. 8
shows the capabilities of holding
objects firmly. Objects tested
were daily used items with a
different shape, sizes, and weight.
The objects included a Gorilla
glue, a water bottle, a mouse,
thread spool, an empty plastic jar,
an omega DAQ, a glue gun, a
leveler and a stapler. Glue gun
and lever were the heaviest among
all of the objects.

Figure 8: Grasping of different objects by prototype hand mounted with exoskeleton (a)
Gorilla glue bottle, (b) Water Bottle, (c) Computer Mouse, (d) Nylon Thread Spool, (e)
Empty cylindrical container, (f) Omega data acquisition module, (g) glue gun, (h) leveler,
and (i) stapler (Note: Gravity is acting downwards).

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 5 CONCLUSION
We have designed and developed a novel orthotic hand device powered by twisted and coiled polymer artificial muscles,
a thermal protection layer, flexible fabrics and 3D printed structures. We successfully designed and developed a
biomimetic artificial hand to test the orthotic devices with a similar range of motions as a natural human hand. The
current version of iGrab orthotic hand has a mass of 90 gram, a size of 240 mm length (on forearm), 65 mm wide at the
wrist and 90 mm wide on forearm powered by five 2-ply TCP muscles of length 380 mm and diameter of 1.35 mm.
Cyclic test of the silver coated nylon 6,6 multifilament, 2-ply TCP was performed and showed 5200 cycles at 300 gram
load, at 0.184 W/cm power input at 0.03 Hz frequency. One of the fingers of the orthotic hand was actuated under cyclic
load using 2-ply TCP and sustained 200 cycles of flexionextension at frequency of 0.04 Hz and duty cycle 20% duty
cycle. The test was not performed until it fails. The device is capable of restoring all the basic human hand movements
such as flexion and extension. It was also able to grasp everyday use items. Further work will include introducing
locking mechanism to increase the efficiency of the device and design modifications to enhance the degree of actuation
and better thermal management. It will also include the control system for the device.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This material is based upon work supported by the US Army Medical Research and Material Command under Contract
no. W81XWH-15-C-0023. The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this report are those of the authors and
should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy or decision unless so designated by other
documentation.
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