Hand tremor suppression device for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

In this study, a wearable device is developed as a mechanical treatment to suppress hand tremors in people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD). The biodynamic modelling of the human hand was done by considering the hand as a primary mass-spring-damper system. Dual passive vibration absorbers have been designed to match the frequencies of tremors. The performance assessment of the device was performed using the temporal response of hand tremors. The results showed that the device reduced the amplitude of the angular movement of the wrist by 57.25%. The device fabricated in the form of a bracelet was easy to wear by PwPD when needed.

Keywords:

• Parkinson disease
• hand tremor
• wearable devices
• biodynamic modelling
• passive vibration absorber

Acknowledgment

The author would like to thank “Ergonomics Research Division, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), India” for providing the necessary resources and space to carry out the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).