Playskin Lift: Development and Initial Testing of an Exoskeletal Garment to Assist Upper Extremity Mobility and Function

Michele A. Lobo; John Koshy; Martha L. Hall; Ozan Erol; Huantian Cao; Jenner M. Buckley; James C. Galloway; Jill Higginson

doi:10.2522/ptj.20140540

Figures

Figure 4.

Percent time during the reaching location assessment that the participant was able to contact a toy presented at hip level, chest level, and eye level while seated with the Playskin Lift on or off. Note that the participant was motivated and successful interacting with the toy at hip level but was not able to contact the toy at chest and eye level with the garment off. When wearing the Playskin Lift, he was able to contact toys more often at hip level and was able to contact toys at chest and eye level.

Figure 1.

The 3-dimensionally printed Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton (WREX) on an infant. Rubber bands attach laterally to the device and cross the shoulder and elbow joints to provide torque to assist with flexion at those joints.

Figure 3.

Modeling to determine insert sizes required to lift the arm to 90 degrees of shoulder flexion based on the weight of the user. The testing apparatus (A) emulated a solid trunk with a hinge joint and lightweight arm. Each insert was secured with an adjustable seam length (a and b) corresponding to wire segment length (X and Y). The wire was loaded until equilibrium was achieved at 90 degrees, and the resultant moment was computed as the product of load (W) and distance (c). The test was repeated with wire diameters of 0.020, 0.024, and 0.031 in (1 in=2.54 cm) and sets of 5, 10, or 20 wires per bundle. Figure 3B charts the number of wires that should be used for inserts to lift an arm to 90 degrees in relation to the joint moment and the child's weight. The plus sign corresponds to the data for the toddler in this report.

Figure 5.

Results of the naturalistic play assessment, playing with toys while seated on the floor. When wearing the garment, the participant had improved ability to hold toys with and without support from a surface (supported and suspended contact, respectively) with the right hand, left hand, and with both hands (A). Note the large increase in holding with the left hand and the appearance of bilateral holding when wearing the Playskin Lift. Not only did the Playskin Lift improve the participant's ability to contact and hold toys during floor play, but the participant looked at objects more while contacting them and spent more time performing interactive behaviors with objects when wearing the garment (B).

Figure 2.

The Playskin Lift from the front (A), from the rear (B), on a mannequin (C), and on the participant in supine (D) and sitting to demonstrate how the device allows for shoulder extension (E) while assisting shoulder flexion (F). The mechanical inserts for the Playskin Lift (G) are made by bundling pieces of carbon steel music wire, covering them with heat-shrink wrap, and sealing the bundle ends with athletic tape and additional heat-shrink wrap. The amount and diameter of wire used to make each bundle determine the amount of lifting assistance that will be provided to the upper extremity.

Tables

Table.

Parent Perception Questionnaire Questions Posed to the Participant's Mother, Rating Scale, and Responses to Assess the Ease of Use, Comfort, and Attractiveness of the Playskin Lift

Supplementary Data

eTables

Files in this Data Supplement:

eTables (PDF) (26 KB) - This PDF contains the following supplements:
- eTable 1. Textile Testing Results for the Fabric Used in the First Prototype and the Next Generation of Fabric Used for the Playskin Lift
- eTable 2. Item Names, Potential Sources Where These Items Can Be Obtained, and Cost Breakdown for Materials Used to Produce the Playskin Lift