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WO-2026093494-A1 - FOREARM ASSISTIVE DEVICE

WO2026093494A1WO 2026093494 A1WO2026093494 A1WO 2026093494A1WO-2026093494-A1

Abstract

A powered orthotic device (26) for providing powered assistance to a forearm of a human user. The device (10) comprises a proximal orthosis (16) and a distal orthosis (18) for mounting the device (10) to a user's arm, and a forearm joint (22) coupling the proximal orthosis (16) to the distal orthosis (18). The forearm joint (22) is configured as a remote centre of motion joint to allow the distal orthosis (18) to rotate relative to the proximal orthosis (16) about a longitudinal rotation axis (26) positioned laterally distal to the device (10). A forearm actuator (28) is configured to actuate the forearm joint (22) to rotate the distal orthosis (16) relative to the proximal orthosis (18) about the longitudinal rotation axis (26). A sensor unit (31) comprising one or more sensors (32) is configured to provide a first sensor output indicating a torque transferred from the distal orthosis (18) to the proximal orthosis (16) through the forearm joint (22). A controller (30) is communicatively coupled with the sensor unit (31) and the forearm actuator (28), and configured to operate the forearm actuator (28) to actuate the forearm joint (22) to rotate the distal orthosis (18) based on the first sensor output.

Inventors

  • LØWER, Jostein
  • BODSBERG, Eirik
  • KENEL, Julia Christina
  • WICK BENDVOLD, Leo
  • KVAM KOLLBYE, Asmund

Assignees

  • VILJE BIONICS AS

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251030
Priority Date
20241030

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A powered orthotic device (10) for providing powered assistance to a forearm of a human user, the device (10) comprising: a proximal orthosis (16) and a distal orthosis (18) for mounting the device (10) to a user’s arm, the proximal orthosis (16) configured to be mounted at a proximal position on the user’s arm and the distal orthosis (18) configured to be mounted at a distal position on the user’s forearm and/or hand; a forearm joint (22) coupling the proximal orthosis (16) to the distal orthosis (18) to define an orthosis longitudinal axis (24) extending from the proximal orthosis (16) to the distal orthosis (18), such that, when the device (10) is mounted to the user’s arm, the orthosis longitudinal axis (24) is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the user’s forearm, wherein the forearm joint (22) is configured as a remote centre of motion joint to allow the distal orthosis (18) to rotate relative to the proximal orthosis (16) about a longitudinal rotation axis (26) positioned laterally distal to the device (10), the longitudinal rotation axis (26) substantially parallel to the orthosis longitudinal axis (24); a forearm actuator (28) configured to actuate the forearm joint (22) to rotate the distal orthosis (18) relative to the proximal orthosis (16) about the longitudinal rotation axis (26); a sensor unit (31) comprising one or more sensors (32) configured to provide a first sensor output indicating one or more torques transferred from the distal orthosis (18) to the proximal orthosis (16) through the forearm joint (22); and a controller (30) communicatively coupled with the sensor unit (31) and the forearm actuator (28), the controller (30) is configured to operate the forearm actuator (28) to actuate the forearm joint (22) to rotate the distal orthosis (18) based on the first sensor output.
  2. 2. The powered orthotic device of claim 1 , wherein the forearm joint (22) is configured such that, when the device is in use and mounted to a user’s arm, the distal orthosis (18) rotates relative to the proximal orthosis (16) about the longitudinal rotation axis (26) in response to the user’s forearm exerts a force for a pronation or supination.
  3. 3. The powered orthotic device of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensors (32) are configured to, in use, provide the first sensor output indicating one or more torques transferred from the distal orthosis (18) to the proximal orthosis (16) through the forearm joint (22) due to the user’s forearm exerting force for the pronation or supination.
  4. 4. The powered orthotic device of claim 3, wherein the controller (30) is configured to operate the forearm actuator (28) such that, in use, the forearm actuator (28) actuates the forearm joint (22) to rotate the distal orthosis (18) based on the first sensor output to assist the user in performing the pronation or supination.
  5. 5. The powered orthotic device of any preceding claim, wherein the forearm actuator (28) comprises a forearm actuator output (29) rigidly coupled to the sensor unit (31), and the distal orthosis (18) is rigidly coupled to the forearm joint (22) via the sensor unit (31), such that an external torque applied to the distal orthosis (18) and a torque produced by the forearm actuator (28) at the forearm actuator output (29) are transmitted through the sensor unit (31).
  6. 6. The powered orthotic device of any preceding claim, wherein the controller (30) is programmed to activate the forearm actuator (28) if the first sensor output indicates a torque or velocity beyond a predetermined first forearm threshold value.
  7. 7. The powered orthotic device of claim 6, wherein the controller (30) is programmed not to activate the forearm actuator (28) if the first sensor output indicates a torque that does not surpass the predetermined first forearm threshold value.
  8. 8. The powered orthotic device of claim 6 or 7, wherein the controller (30) is configured to control the forearm actuator (28) to produce a predetermined torque or velocity to rotate the distal orthosis (18) for a predetermined period of time when the first sensor output indicates a torque beyond the predetermined first forearm threshold value.
  9. 9. The powered orthotic device of any preceding claim, further comprising an inertial measurement unit (IMU) (62) coupled to the distal orthosis (18) and communicatively coupled to the controller (30), the IMU (62) configured to measure and output one or more IMU signals indicating velocity and acceleration of the distal orthosis (18), wherein the controller (30) is configured to operate the forearm actuator (28) additionally based on the one or more IMU signals.
  10. 10. The powered orthotic device of any preceding claim, further comprising: a finger orthosis (20) for coupling the device (10) to one or more fingers of the user’s hand, the finger orthosis (20) coupled to the distal orthosis (18) at a finger joint (34), the finger joint (34) configured to allow the finger orthosis (20) to pivot relative to the distal orthosis (18) about a lateral gripping axis (36) substantially perpendicular to the orthosis longitudinal axis (24); and a finger actuator (38) configured to actuate the finger joint (34) to rotate the finger orthosis (20) relative to the distal orthosis (18) about the lateral gripping axis (36).
  11. 11. The powered orthotic device of claim 10, wherein: the sensor unit (31) comprises one or more wrist sensors (42) configured to provide a second sensor output indicating a torque transferred from the distal orthosis (18) to the proximal orthosis (16) through the forearm joint (22; 22’) about a wrist axis (50; 51) substantially perpendicular to the orthosis longitudinal axis (24), wherein the wrist axis (50; 51) is either a wrist flexion/extension axis (50) oriented substantially parallel to the lateral gripping axis (36) to correspond to the user’s wrist flexion/extension axis when the device (10) is mounted to the user’s arm, or a wrist ulnar/radial deviation axis (51) oriented substantially perpendicular to the lateral gripping axis (36) to correspond to the user’s wrist ulnar/radial deviation axis when the device (10) is mounted to the user’s arm; and the controller (30) is communicatively coupled with the finger actuator (38), the controller (30) configured to operate the finger actuator (38) to actuate the finger joint (34) based on the second sensor output.
  12. 12. The powered orthotic device of claim 11 , wherein the controller (30) is configured to operate the forearm actuator (28) to actuate the forearm joint (22) to rotate the distal orthosis (18) additionally based on the second sensor output.
  13. 13. The powered orthotic device of claim 12, wherein the controller (30) is programmed to operate the forearm actuator (28) to actuate the forearm joint (22) if the first sensor output indicates a torque above a predetermined second forearm threshold value and the second sensor output indicates a torque below a predetermined first finger threshold value.
  14. 14. The powered orthotic device of claim 11 , 12 or 13, wherein the controller (30) is configured to operate the finger actuator (38) to actuate the finger joint (34) additionally based on the first sensor output.
  15. 15. The powered orthotic device of claim 14, wherein the controller (30) is programmed to operate the finger actuator (38) to actuate the finger joint (34) if the second sensor output indicates a torque above a predetermined second finger threshold value and the second sensor output indicates a torque below a predetermined third forearm threshold value.
  16. 16. A powered orthotic device (10) for providing powered assistance to a hand of a human user, the device (10) comprising: a proximal orthosis (16) and a distal orthosis (18) for mounting the device (10) to a user’s arm, the proximal orthosis (16) configured to be mounted to a proximal location on the user’s arm and the distal orthosis (18) configured to be mounted to a distal location on the user’s forearm and/or hand, the proximal orthosis (16) is coupled to the distal orthosis (18) to define an orthosis longitudinal axis (24) extending from the proximal orthosis (16) to the distal orthosis (18), such that, when the device (10) is mounted to the user’s arm, the orthosis longitudinal axis (24) is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the user’s forearm; a finger orthosis (20) for coupling the device (10) to one or more fingers of the user’s hand; a finger joint (34) coupling the finger orthosis (20) to the distal orthosis (18), the finger joint (34) configured to allow the finger orthosis (20) to pivot relative to the distal orthosis (18) about a lateral gripping axis (36) substantially perpendicular to the orthosis longitudinal axis (24); a finger actuator (38) configured to actuate the finger joint (34) to rotate the finger orthosis (20) relative to the distal orthosis (18) about the lateral gripping axis (36); one or more sensors (42) configured to provide a sensor output indicating a torque transferred from the distal orthosis (18) to the proximal orthosis (16) about a wrist axis (50; 51) substantially perpendicular to the orthosis longitudinal axis (24), wherein the wrist axis (50; 51) is either a wrist flexion/extension axis (50) oriented substantially parallel to the lateral gripping axis (36) to correspond to the user’s wrist flexion/extension axis when the device (10) is mounted to the user’s arm, or a wrist ulnar/radial deviation axis (51) oriented substantially perpendicular to the lateral gripping axis (36) to correspond to the user’s wrist ulnar/radial deviation axis when the device (10) is mounted to the user’s arm; and a controller (30) communicatively coupled with the one or more sensors (42) and the finger actuator (38), the controller (30) configured to operate the finger actuator (38) to actuate the finger joint (34) to rotate the finger orthosis (20) based on the sensor output.
  17. 17. The powered orthotic device of claim 16, wherein the one or more sensors (42) form a sensor unit (31) that connects the proximal orthosis (16) to the distal orthosis (18) such that an external torque applied to the distal orthosis (18) is transmitted through the sensor unit (31).
  18. 18. The powered orthotic device of claim 16 or 17, wherein the controller (30) is programmed to activate the finger actuator (38) if the sensor output indicates a torque beyond a predetermined threshold value.
  19. 19. The powered orthotic device of claim 18, wherein the controller (30) is programmed not to activate the finger actuator (38) if the sensor output indicates a torque that does not surpass the predetermined threshold value.
  20. 20. The powered orthotic device of claim 18 or 19 wherein the controller (30) is configured to control the finger actuator (38) to produce a predetermined torque or velocity to rotate the finger orthosis (20) for a predetermined period of time when the sensor output indicates a torque beyond the predetermined threshold value.

Description

174364/01 FOREARM ASSISTIVE DEVICE TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to powered orthotic devices, particularly for providing powered assistance to forearm and/or hand gripping movements by a human user. BACKGROUND Assistive orthotic medical devices exist to support a user in the functional activities of daily living. A user may have a motor impairment in a limb, for example as a result of a medical condition such as a stroke or a brachial plexus injury. Such an impairment may affect an upper limb, meaning that the user’s arm is severely weakened, making several activities very difficult or impossible. Support for the upper limb, to help the user with arm function, may be provided by a passive orthotic device, such as a brace, or a powered orthotic device that uses a power source, such as a battery, to actively support the upper limb and provide powered assistance to limb movements. A powered orthotic device may also be used by people with motor impairment in both upper limbs or by people without motor impairments to enhance their strength or mobility. Known powered orthotic devices use electromyography (EMG) to measure the remaining electrical muscle activation signals directly on the skin above a muscle in the impaired arm. This information is used to determine how to provide powered assistance to the arm movements or grasp of the user. However, EMG has significant drawbacks for users of powered orthotic devices. EMG utilizes electrodes placed on the skin above a muscle. To get sufficient signal quality, the placement of these electrodes must be accurate. The user must place these electrodes every time they are putting the device on, which complicates the process of putting the device on. This process also introduces potential differences in the interaction every time the device is used. Some muscle areas may present particular difficulties for electrode placement by a user - for example, the smaller muscles of the forearm and hand may require even more precise placement, and the user would only have one hand available to place the electrodes on the forearm and hand. EMG electrodes placed on the wrists and hands may particularly get in the way when a user is carrying out daily activities. For gripping assistance, it is known to use pressure sensors in the fingertips of a device such as a glove to recognize a collision with an object and followingly the intention to grasp that object. This pressure sensor concept requires some control of the movement/force of the fingers to operate the device. This can be difficult for users with a clenched or a flaccid hand. The fingertip sensor also requires quite accurate placement of the sensors on the fingers when the device is put on, and also as the fingers move to form a grip. A soft glove with pressure sensors can be very difficult to put on for someone with a clenched hand, or with a flaccid hand that cannot provide any help to the user. Furthermore, EMG electrodes must be placed on exposed skin. This restricts which clothing the user can wear while operating the device. This can be problematic for users with medical conditions that cause blood flow to the extremities to be restricted, resulting in the users being cold. WO2016/205356A1 discloses a powered orthotic device for a limb that uses EMG sensors to detect activity in a user’s muscles, and applies a torque to a brace system based on the sensor output to assist a user’s motion. US2019/01575376A1 discloses a powered orthotic device including a brace, a finger engagement member, a thumb engagement member and a hand actuator. The hand actuator causes the finger engagement member to move relative to the thumb engagement member. The hand actuator may be operated based on EMG sensor signals. There is a need for an improved powered orthotic device to assist users with carrying out functional daily activities. SUMMARY An aspect of the present disclosure provides a powered orthotic device for providing powered assistance to a forearm of a human user, the device comprising: a proximal orthosis and a distal orthosis for mounting the device to a user’s arm, the proximal orthosis configured to be mounted at a proximal position on the user’s arm and the distal orthosis configured to be mounted at a distal position on the user’s forearm and/or hand; a forearm joint coupling the proximal orthosis to the distal orthosis to define an orthosis longitudinal axis extending from the proximal orthosis to the distal orthosis, such that, when the device is mounted to the user’s arm, the orthosis longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the user’s forearm, wherein the forearm joint is configured as a remote centre of motion joint to allow the distal orthosis to rotate relative to the proximal orthosis about a longitudinal rotation axis positioned laterally distal to the device, the longitudinal rotation axis substantially parallel to the orthosis longitudinal axis; a forearm actuator configured t