TY - JOUR A1 - Schaeffer, Leon A1 - Herrmann, David A1 - Schratzenstaller, Thomas A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian A1 - Böhm, Valter T1 - Preliminary theoretical considerations on the stiffness characteristics of a tensegrity joint for the use in dynamic orthoses JF - Journal of Medical Robotics Research N2 - Early motion therapy plays an important role for effective long-term healing of joint injuries. In many cases, conventional dynamic orthoses fail to address the intricate movement possibilities of the underlying joints, limited by their simplistic joint representations, often represented by revolute joints, enabling rotations by only one axis. In this paper, a two-dimensional compliant tensegrity joint for use in biomedical applications is investigated. It consists of two compressed members and five compliant tensioned members. Relative movement possibilities are realized by the intrinsic compliance of the structure. In the development of these systems, the first step is the determination of the static stable equilibrium. This analysis is conducted in this paper by considering the potential energy approach or by using the geometric nonlinear finite element method. The mechanical behavior of the structure is assessed with a specific emphasis on its mechanical compliance. The primary objective of this study is the investigation of the influence of structural parameters on the overall stiffness and movability of the structure. The results underscore the significant effect of member parameters on the stiffness and movability of the compliant tensegrity joint, particularly under varying load magnitudes. These findings provide insights for optimizing the joint’s performance, contributing to its potential application in advanced orthotic and exoskeleton devices. KW - mechanical compliance KW - flexibility ellipsis KW - form-finding KW - tensegrity joint Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1142/S2424905X23400081 PB - World Scientific ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schaeffer, Leon A1 - Schmaußer, Theresa A1 - Herrmann, David A1 - Lehmann, Lukas A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian A1 - Böhm, Valter T1 - Multi-Body Simulation of a Dynamic Hand Orthosis based on a Prestressed Compliant Structure Incorporating the Human Hand T2 - 2025 International Symposium on Medical Robotics (ISMR), May 14-16, 2025, Atlanta, GA, USA, N2 - Many dynamic hand orthoses use one degree of freedom joints, such as hinge joints. Therefore, these orthoses can only partially replicate the complex, multi-axis movement of the hand. A possible solution for this is the use of prestressed compliant structures as the basis for orthoses. Determining the joint forces in the wrist and optimizing the dynamic orthosis to influence these forces as well as acting muscle forces are important steps in the development of these orthoses. For this reason, in this work multi-body simulation models of an orthosis with human hand models are presented. Based on these theoretical investigations, more detailed orthosis models as well as initial prototypes of prestressed compliant dynamic hand orthoses can be developed. KW - Hands KW - Wrist KW - Systematics KW - Simulation KW - Dynamics KW - Refining KW - Prototypes KW - Usability KW - Research and development KW - Testing Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMR67322.2025.11025982 SP - 80 EP - 86 PB - IEEE ER -