Implementation and Evaluation of a Control System for a Hand Exoskeleton on Mobile Devices

Anyone could suffer a stroke, which is one of the major causes of disability in the adult population. Survivors often experience problems due to paralysis and spasticity and thus require constant help, as even the simplest everyday tasks can pose an insurmountable challenge. To help those affected, the KONSENS research project led by the University Hospital in Tubingen developed a hand exoskeleton that can also be used by stroke patients. The goal of this work is to implement a control for this exoskeleton on Google Glass, as well as Android smartphones and smartwatches. Then we evaluated the resulting prototype with students of Stuttgart Media University and acquaintances of the author. The focus of this work is on the comparison of user acceptance and suitability of ten different input and output methods such as voice control, eye tracking or touch input on three mobile devices. It was found the user acceptance and suitability of controlling the system using touch input was highest, while eye tracking and head movements was lowest.