Robotic Glove for Patient with Hand Paralysis: The Voice Activated Control System

The voice activated robotic glove is a proposed solution to assist individuals facing hand paralysis with fine motor manipulation skills. An injury resulting in impairment to one or both hands strips away one of the body’s vital tools for self-sufficiency. The design will produce a microcontroller driven system that will use voice commands to control finger movements.  The purpose of the device is to control the mobility of the hand of a patient with hand paralysis while grasping and holding a small, lightweight object, such as an egg. The user interface consists of a voice recognition system and multiple linear actuators. A sound recognition sensor receives keywords from a microphone to let the user initiate the opening and closing of the glove. Multiple joint control from the actuators gives each finger three bending degrees of freedom and two for the thumb, successfully replicating normal hand function. As the linear actuator extends, a sliding mechanism will control the bending of the fingers, so the hand closes to grasp the desired object. The internal processor on the microcontroller emits a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to give full control over each actuator’s speed and direction. This project takes an innovative approach to designing a new interface for controlling finger movements when regular motor functions are compromised. Implementing this control system allows the user to utilize their voice to activate a range of hand motions to pick up and put down small objects.

Claire Mitchell

Claire Mitchell (she/her), a St. Louis City native, will be graduating with a B.S. in Computer Engineering this coming May. She is most interested in working with hardware-software co-design for embedded systems. After graduating, she will start her career as an Electronic Warfare Engineer at Boeing Phantom Works in St. Louis. Outside of school, Claire enjoys traveling with friends and family and hosting parties. 

Emily Nunn

Emily Nunn is from Evansville Indiana. Graduating with a bachelors in Electrical Engineering. Planning to go into an entry level position as an Electrical Controls Engineer. Emily enjoys playing piano. She/Her. 

Olivia Johnson

Olivia Johnson (she/her) is from Green Oaks, IL, and is graduating with a degree in biomedical engineering and a minor in mathematics. While at SLU, she has been involved in the Society of Women Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, and served as the Vice President of Finance of Phases of Motion. After graduation, she plans to work with medical devices, and hopes to have a positive impact on the world around her in the position she obtains. Outside of school, Olivia enjoys dancing and traveling.