Personalized Bistable Orthoses for Rehabilitation of Finger Joints
summary
A bistable finger orthosis is built as a single-piece 3D-printed mechanism of two rigid links, compliant hinges, and an elastic band that 3D printed in one piece snaps between a stiff immobilizing state and a low-resistance flexing state; a simulation-driven customization pipeline sets switching angles and force thresholds from a user’s finger dimensions, extension range, and measured strength; measured parameters map deformation L to thresholds and theta to switching angle; prototypes survive a 2000-cycle durability test in nylon+TPE; usability is validated in a 10-person wearability study and a clinical 2-week patient case study showing improved comfort and function, with padding and SLS-material tuning planned.
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