AN INNOVATIVE PROTOTYPE OF AN AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR MOVING fINGERS AND WRIST DURING FMRI ANALYSIS

The paper presents an innovative active device capable of moving the fingers and the wrist of the human hand during fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The prototype can be used both for motor learning studies and for stroke analysis. Various possible configurations were investigated. The first was an active glove. The second was a box in which the subject’s hand is inserted, and then moved by pneumatic actuators. The authors optimized this configuration, and also developed an interesting design procedure using data from the literature, experimental measurements, numerical simulations, and experimental videos. This configuration moves the wrist in addition to the fingers, a feature which is innovative, useful and commonly found in devices of this kind