'Mobile Hand Exoskeleton' Developed for Partially Paralyzed Patients

Mobile Hand Exoskeleton Developed for Partially Paralyzed Patients The product, which emerged after approximately 2 years of work at the university through student and academic collaboration, enables partially paralyzed individuals to meet their daily needs. A wearable support and rehabilitation device developed by İsmail Emir Yassı, a medical student at Bursa Uludağ University (BUÜ) Faculty of Medicine, and Prof. Dr. Şehime Gülsün Temel, Founding Chair of the Department of Translational Medicine, provides support to patients who have lost hand grasping function. The device, registered as an industrial design by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, assists users in closing their palm through its integrated sensors. The device, which is BUÜ's first industrial design registration as rights holder, is also undergoing national and international patent procedures. İsmail Emir Yassı, a fifth-year student at the Faculty of Medicine, stated that he interned at a clinical neurotechnology laboratory in Berlin, Germany's capital, in 2021, focusing on brain-computer interfaces. Yassı noted that during his internship he identified the limitations of rehabilitative hand exoskeletons. After returning to Turkey, he approached Prof. Dr. Temel and presented his project.

Yassı explained that he developed prototypes of the project thanks to the scholarship provided by the Bursa Coşkunöz Education Foundation and additive manufacturing support, continuing as follows:

"Hand exoskeletons sold in Turkey are imported and sold at prices that are difficult to access. We asked ourselves, 'Why can't we produce something better at a more affordable price in Turkey?' A scientific paper about the performance and characteristics of the produced prototypes is planned to be published within the year. When the device reaches its final form, we aim to make it controllable through brain activity signals as well. To realize our domestic production target, our company establishment process continues with state and industry support. We hope to bring the final product to a wide patient population at affordable prices within a few years." Yassı stated that he has been invited with a scholarship to Harvard Medical School in the United States for training in brain stimulation and to conduct scientific research, saying, "I am currently studying at Harvard Medical School. After graduation, I aim to further develop myself in this field and develop high-value-added projects for Turkey."

"Important for Patients Who Have Lost Hand Grasping Function"

Prof. Dr. Şehime Gülsün Temel stated that they aimed to develop products that could benefit society. Temel provided the following explanation on the subject: "The pandemic period was still ongoing at the time. He made a presentation to me over the internet, and I was very impressed. He presented like a trainer. He was knowledgeable about everything. He explained everything very clearly, from the software to the electronic components."

As Temel explained that the wearable hand exoskeleton they developed can be used by patients with minimal remaining muscle function, he continued as follows:

"The most important feature of this device is that it is compact. It is important for patients who have lost hand grasping function. It is important that they can perform their daily needs at home themselves. For example, a patient who has had a stroke and lost hand grasping function. There must be minimal level of function remaining in the muscle. These devices are very expensive. They are always connected to another unit. Unlike what we produced, they are not wearable. For someone to benefit from them, either that person has to go to that location or it has to be brought to their home. Bringing it home is not even possible. Our invention idea came from here. By creating a personalized hand exoskeleton, we enable the person's daily needs to be met, and by exercising that muscle for rehabilitation purposes, the patient does everything himself."

Prof. Dr. Temel noted that they will make the device more ergonomic and solar-chargeable.

Temel, stating that they aim to produce at least 3 more prototypes, said, "Our goal is to establish a company. We will begin our company establishment process after Emir returns from abroad. After that, of course, we will look for investors who believe in us and can become partners with us." Source