A Soft Pneumatic Exosuit to Assist Pronosupination in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Forearm pronosupination is an essential movement for many activities of daily living as it complements hand manipulation. Despite being highly impaired in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), it is rarely assisted by wearable robots, likely due to the challenging anchoring to the body and the risk of hindering hand capabilities. Here, a lightweight (30 g) soft wearable robot is introduced to assist pronosupination, employing a pneumatic fabric-based actuator that twists around the forearm, without impeding hand movements. It is mechanically transparent when unpowered but generates up to 122 N of force when inflated at low pressure (70 kPa). The device is tested on 10 SCI individuals, showing significant improvements in range of motion and reduced muscular effort. Additionally, participants engage in a target-hitting exergame, achieving higher scores and enhanced performance when assisted. The design potentially ensures compatibility with other wearables, showing promise for integrated upper limb assistance in individuals with neurological conditions.