The Exomotion Hand One is an innovative solution for more freedom of movement and greater quality of life. The hand orthosis from HKK Bionics was developed to restore the gripping function of paralyzed hands.
Everything you need to know about the features and benefits of the Exomotion Handone myoelectric hand orthosis against hand paralysis from HKK Bionics need to know.
With the exomechanics, individual and several fingers can be bent and stretched independently of each other. Artificial tendons, which are almost invisibly built into the inside of the hand orthosis, support this action. The high-performance drives are extremely quiet and can be adjusted by fine motor control. Many areas in the armor housing have been hollowed out to reduce weight, yet there is still enough rigidity. Furthermore, cooling channels integrated directly into the geometry, which dissipates the heat from the motors to the outside.
The big advantage: The orthosis does not require stimulation current pulses.
Each hand orthosis is custom-made and supplemented with a hand splint to stabilize the forearm and metacarpus. This provides HKK Bionics CE-certified modular system for trained orthopedic technicians who can model the appropriate glove as well as the splint. The plaster cast is read out by means of a 3D scan (from the supplier Inneo) and transmitted to HKK Bionics. All color variations can be considered.
The finished hand orthosis is then 3D printed and delivered to the healthcare provider for testing. Now the control parameters are set.
Through direct impulses of the active muscles, the most intuitive control of the motor function is achieved. This is done by an electrode that registers and can process the movement of the respective muscle. The patient often determines the individually adapted muscle himself, but often these are finger or wrist muscles. Even if these are no longer sufficient to move the hand, they still trigger a signal: Tightening the muscle closes the hand, while opening it for a long time opens it accordingly. At the control unit on the belt, the patient can then select whether only the thumb and index finger should be controlled, whether three fingers or the entire hand should be controlled. Furthermore, grip patterns can be preselected in advance.
With our hand, which requires only one electromyographic sensor, you can easily detect your intention to move. This sits on an intact muscle of the arm and works together with advanced software. As soon as you activate your grip pattern, powerful microdrives in the arm splint are triggered to transfer targeted force into the silicone glove mechanism. This allows you to open and close your fingers normally, as well as provide the necessary grip force - all without a forearm splint. This splint is manufactured individually for each patient using 3D printing and connected to the other orthosis components by the orthopedic technician, just like a construction kit. Incidentally, the device is splash-proof, so a summer thunderstorm does not affect the fitting.
The exoskeleton can be used for paralysis of the hand caused by strokes or nerve injuries. In most cases, the device can be controlled by a muscle in the arm - preferably the forearm. Only one active muscle is required for this. If there is no muscle activity in the affected area, other body muscles can be switched on. In the case of complete hemiplegia, this must be checked on an individual basis.
The orthosis is not suitable for people with severe spasticity or a very contracted hand that has been untreated for years. The glove is not designed to stretch the hand. In addition, users must be of legal age - on the one hand for legal reasons and on the other hand because our anatomically adapted orthotic hands would have to be constantly renewed for users who are growing, which would otherwise be very expensive.
The orthosis has six different types of grip, including the closed fist, the so-called check card grip and the index finger grip. These can be used, for example, to operate a PC keyboard or even a computer mouse.
The processing of the hand weighs exactly 600g. The unit with battery and touchscreen, which is attached to the belt, is only 500g light. The battery is permanently installed.
The battery lasts all day with average use. It also has a quick-charge function and is fully charged in two hours.
This depends not least on the work processes of the prosthetist, but also on the pressure of the individual splint. The duration of the approval process with the health insurance companies is not yet taken into account here. Experience values are one to three months.
The Exomotion hand orthosis from HKK Bionics is primarily suitable for the following indications and persons: Adult patients, stroke patients (not completely hemiplegic), MS (multiple sclerosis), accident patients (primarily in motorcycle accidents) with distal paralysis of the hand causing nerve injuries. The orthosis is not suitable for complete and complete hemiplegia.
Whether the Exomotion Hand One hand orthosis from HKK Bionics is suitable for you depends on how severely damaged your nerve cords are and therefore how well you can still control your arm. Excessive spasticity cannot be corrected or if the patient is too severely cognitively affected.
HKK Bionics is a spinoff of Ulm University of Applied Sciences and was founded by Dominik Hepp and Tobias Knobloch in 2017.
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HKK Bionics GmbH.
