Development of a Universal Hand Assist Tool for Patients with Reduced Upper Extremity Mobility Resulting From Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

Abstract

Tetraplegia caused by cervical spinal cord injury is a devastating condition resulting in limited or complete loss of sensation and motor function beyond the location of the injury. The lack of mobility drastically affects the independence and quality of life of the injured individual. In order to improve the quality of life of these individuals who retain some upper extremity mobility, it is imperative that adaptive devices are developed to assist with day to day activities. Such devices must be inexpensive, lightweight, and robust. The Universal Hand Assist Tool was developed to address these needs. This adaptive hand tool was designed using lean development principles to ensure robust and reliable performance, and fabricated with all 3D printed custom components. Five activities were developed for the hand tool, including using a touchscreen, writing pen, silverware, focused force stylus and quarter-inch hex tools. The Universal Hand Assist Tool is to be distributed through open-source channels to provide a low-cost adaptive hand tool platform.