GripDome Prototype: Customizable Grip Strength Assessment in Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke survivors often experience debilitating upper limb conditions, requiring therapy and rehabilitation exercises to regain limb function. However, frequent visits to medical centers for treatment sessions pose challenges. This paper presents GripDome, a prototype designed to measure grip strength in a user-friendly and highly tailorable manner, enabling strength recovery for patients in domestic environments without the need for medical assistance. GripDome consists of an elastic, inflatable silicone dome connected to a plastic base. Patients exert pressure inside the device by squeezing the dome with varying forces, which is measured using an external pressure transducer and a microcontroller. The prototype offers adjustable resistance levels, facilitating quantitative assessment of grip strength and personalized rehabilitation progress tracking.3D printing is employed for plastic components, enhancing affordability and customization. Experimental tests demonstrate GripDome’s ability to distinguish forces of different intensities and repeatability of measurements. The prototype’s pneumatic system allows dynamic adjustment of resistance levels, tailoring rehabilitation paths to individual needs.