Deep Learning in Design of Semi-Automated 3D Printed Chainmail with Pre-Programmed Directional Functions for Hand Exoskeleton

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to refine a scientific solution to the problem of automated or semi-automated efficient and practical design of 3D printed chainmails of exoskeletons with pre-programmed properties (variable stiffness/flexibility depending on direction) reflecting individual user needs, including different types and degrees of deficit. We demonstrate this with the example of using chainmail in a hand exoskeleton, where 3D printed chainmail components can be arranged in a single-layer structure with adjustable one- or two-way bending modulus. The novelty of the proposed approach consists in combining the use of real data from research on the exoskeleton of the hand, new methods of their analysis using deep neural networks, with a clear and scalable design of a 3D printed fabric product that can be personalized (mechanical parameters such as stiffness and bend angles in various directions) to the needs and goals of therapy in a particular patient. So far, this approach is unique, having no equivalent in the literature. This paves the way for a wider implementation of adaptive chainmails based on machine learning, more efficient for more complex chainmail designs.