Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology Seeks to Transfer Patent for Pneumatic Hand Rehabilitation Device Targeting Spasticity in Hemiplegic Patients at RMB 200,000
Recently, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology released a public notice on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. The hospital intends to transfer“A Pneumatic Hand for Anti-Spasticity of Hand Muscles”Relevant patents were transferred to industry partners. The patent agreement was priced at RMBRMB 200,000, the inventor is Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyProfessor Chen Yong and his team。
Chen Yong:Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Department of Endocrinology, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2005 with a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Medicine; obtained his Ph.D. in Natural Sciences from the University of Bonn, Germany in 2014 (graduated in 2013); conducted postdoctoral research at the Diabetes Center of the University of California, San Francisco from 2015 to 2019, serving as the Principal Investigator for individual projects; and returned to China to work full-time in 2019. He has made outstanding contributions to the field of brown/beige adipose tissue metabolism and energy homeostasis. His series of research works have been published in SCI-indexed journals such as Nature, Cell, Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, Cell Metabolism, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Science Signaling, and JBC.
This invention is a pneumatic hand device for anti-spasticity of hand muscles, with its core being the improved glove design and added detection modules to aid in the rehabilitation of hand motor function in patients with hemiplegia and other conditions.
Hand Muscle SpasmsIt is a common challenge in the rehabilitation process of patients with hemiplegia and other conditions. It not only severely limits hand motor function, making basic movements such as grasping and extension difficult to perform smoothly, but also negatively affects patients’ activities of daily living and quality of life, becoming a key barrier to their recovery.
Meanwhile, in rehabilitation scenarios for various types of hand motor dysfunction, existing rehabilitation devices and protocols still face numerous challenges, making it difficult to simultaneously meet“Precision Monitoring, Continuous Training, Scientific Adaptation”core needs, thereby giving rise to multi-dimensional market pain points.
From the perspective of clinical application, traditional hand rehabilitation training devices and protocols are currently the mainstream choice; however, they exhibit significant limitations.
On the one hand, existing devices generally lack the capability to effectively detect and assess muscle tone indicators.。During task-oriented training, patients often experience spasticity in the upper limbs and hands due to increased flexor tone, which necessitates the suspension or termination of training tasks and hinders the achievement of expected therapeutic outcomes.
On the other hand, traditional rehabilitation gloves cover most of the palm and the finger pads.When patients come into contact with objects during training, it is detrimental to proprioceptive input and inconsistent with the latest rehabilitation concepts such as Bobath, postural control, motor control, and task-oriented approaches, thereby affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of rehabilitation.
Taking hand rehabilitation in patients with hemiplegia as an example, training interruptions due to spasticity occur frequently, which significantly prolongs the period of functional recovery.
Although some commercial pneumatic rehabilitation gloves have attempted to achieve combined active and passive rehabilitation training through pneumatic structures, they have fallen into“Monitoring and Adaptation Are Difficult to Balance”dilemma. Currently, rehabilitation gloves used in clinical practice can achieve functions such as hand movement posture tracking, range of motion measurement, and muscle strength assessment, but they generally do not integrate targetedIncreased Muscle ToneThe detection module for this critical issue fails to promptly identify patient spasms and initiate timely intervention.
Meanwhile, the design flaw of excessive glove coverage has yet to be improved, and the issue of insufficient proprioceptive input persists, making it difficult to meet the training requirements under the concept of scientific rehabilitation. In addition, the drive structure of certain devices matches poorly with hand anatomy, which may lead to uneven force distribution during finger movement. This could compromise the precision of rehabilitation training and even exacerbate patient discomfort.
Although novel rehabilitation technologies have been explored in areas such as pneumatic actuation and posture sensing, they still fail to overcome the dual challenges of “functional limitations” and “conceptual adaptability.” Most related technologies focus on data acquisition functions, such as range-of-motion measurement and muscle strength assessment, while neglecting spasticity—a key risk factor affecting the rehabilitation process—and lack targeted detection and intervention mechanisms.
Meanwhile, in the product design phase, the latest rehabilitation concepts were not fully integrated, and there was insufficient recognition of the importance of proprioceptive input, resulting in a low degree of alignment between the equipment and clinical rehabilitation needs.
Furthermore, the connection and fixation structures of certain devices are relatively complex, making them inconvenient for patients to don and doff. Their limited flexibility in size adjustment makes it difficult to accommodate varying hand dimensions and rehabilitation stages among different patients, which to some extent restricts their widespread application in clinical settings.
The core pain points in the field of hand rehabilitation, such as the lack of spasticity monitoring, frequent interruptions in training, and insufficient proprioceptive input, have driven the innovative development of anti-spasticity rehabilitation technologies for hand muscles. The pneumatic hand solution provided by this patent demonstrates its core advantages and advanced nature by breaking through the functional limitations of traditional rehabilitation equipment, through“Precision Monitoring of Spasticity”and"Scientifically Optimized Design"deep integration, establishing an efficient, sustainable hand rehabilitation technical pathway aligned with modern clinical rehabilitation concepts.
The team first achievedPrecision in Spasticity Monitoring and Immediacy of Intervention.Traditional rehabilitation equipment struggles to promptly detect increased muscle tone during patient training, often forcing interruptions that compromise the continuity and efficacy of rehabilitation.
The five fingertips of the glove body are integrated with a hand muscle spasm detection module. By leveraging pressure or angular velocity measurement technologies, it can capture subtle changes in finger flexor tone in real time and promptly identify precursors to spasms. When increased muscle tone is detected, the device can automatically switch toBobath Anti-Spasticity Pattern, the power unit of the flexible telescopic tube can be activated without manual intervention, driving the fingers to move in accordance with"Abduct the thumb carpometacarpal joint to its maximum range, and sequentially extend the distal interphalangeal joints of the remaining four fingers from the radial side to the ulnar side."Perform anti-spasticity movements in a scientific sequence.
Meanwhile, the detection module can provide feedback on muscle tone status after intervention, assisting in the evaluation of anti-spasticity efficacy. This design transforms “passively waiting for spasticity to occur” into"Proactive Monitoring + Immediate Intervention", effectively reducing training interruptions and providing patients with more continuous and efficient rehabilitation support.
Another core advantage of the solution lies inGlove Structure Highly Aligns with Modern Rehabilitation Concepts, Enhancing Proprioceptive Input. Traditional rehabilitation gloves have excessive coverage, obscuring the skin of the palm and finger pads, which significantly diminishes proprioceptive feedback during training and fails to align with contemporary rehabilitation principles such as the Bobath concept, postural control, and task-oriented approaches.
This patent features targeted optimization of the glove body: the area extending from the palm to the proximal phalanges of the fingers is designed asHollow Structure, and create openings at the middle phalanx and finger pad of the fingerContact Trough, thereby effectively exposing the skin areas of the palm, corresponding phalanges, and finger pads.
This design allows patients’ skin to directly contact object surfaces during task-oriented training, such as grasping and reaching, thereby significantly enhancing proprioceptive input and facilitating improved motor perception and functional rehabilitation efficiency.
In addition, the flexible telescopic tube adoptsTrachea and Corrugated Sheathcomposite structure, with both ends and the middle section secured by support bases to help maintain stable force output and coordinated movement during actuation. The first and second connecting blocks at the palm end are detachably connected via Velcro, ensuring secure fit while accommodating varying hand sizes of different patients and facilitating easy donning, thereby enhancing the clinical practicality and universality of the device.
As population aging intensifies and the demand for post-stroke rehabilitation continues to rise, the market for rehabilitation devices targeting hand motor dysfunction has entered a phase of rapid growth. Domestic and international companies are increasingly focusing on core technologies such as pneumatic actuation and intelligent sensing, strategically developing products for hand rehabilitation—particularly to address spasticity—thereby creating a diversified competitive landscape.
Jinan Qijia Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.Deeply cultivated in the field of pneumatic rehabilitation, it has launchedQijia Pneumatic Rehabilitation Glove Trainer,At its core, the system leverages aerodynamic principles to conduct hand rehabilitation training. By utilizing air pressure to drive passive exercises of the finger and wrist joints, it helps reduce muscle tone, improve local blood circulation, and increase range of motion, thereby meeting the basic rehabilitation needs of patients with hand muscle spasticity and motor dysfunction. Currently, the product has established a mature commercialization strategy and is in the market promotion phase, providing essential equipment support for both clinical and home-based rehabilitation.
HocomaAs a benchmark enterprise in the global field of upper-limb rehabilitation robotics, its hand rehabilitation devices are distinguished by their technical precision and clinical adaptability. The products focus on meeting the rehabilitation needs of patients with neurological injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. By optimizing drive structures and sensing systems, they achieve refined control over joint movements, helping to alleviate hand spasticity and improve motor function. Currently, these products have been deployed in hospital rehabilitation settings across multiple countries, with continuous advancements in technology iteration and clinical application.