Biomechatronic Embedded System Design of Sensorized Glove with Soft Robotic Hand Exoskeleton Used for Rover Rescue Missions on Mars

TLDR: In this article, the authors presented a mechatronics conceptual design based on biomechanical fundamentals of the hand, where Fusion 360 was used for 3D mechanical systems development and Eagle for electrical and electronic circuit technical schematics, besides telecommunications and telerobotics protocols are analyzed.

Abstract: For many years, a manned mission to Mars has been a challenge for humanity. However, the recent technological advances in human factors and space systems engineering may overcome these limitations. Thus, there are some strategies to face various medical emergencies autonomously due to long distances and hostile conditions in order to develop healthcare monitoring and ensuring the safety of the astronauts. For this reason, an innovative research has been conducted from 2020 to 2021 under the supervision of the Bioastronautics & Space Mechatronics Research Group, resulting in this proposed project, which is a sensorized glove for medical emergencies controlling the rover developed by the Team “Tharsis” from the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria, winner of the Technology Challenge Award for Wheel Design and Fabrication at the 7th Annual NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. In addition, the glove has a soft robotic hand exoskeleton with the purpose of fracture stabilization and to prevent future complications. This study presents a mechatronics conceptual design based on biomechanical fundamentals of the hand, where Fusion 360 was used for 3D mechanical systems development and Eagle for electrical and electronic circuit technical schematics, besides telecommunications and telerobotics protocols are analyzed. The “BIOX-GLOVE” is pretended to be applied on the Martian surface during extravehicular activities-EVA and also, on Earth in a Mars environment analogue and rehabilitation hospitals. In conclusion, favorable results were achieved; consequently, the next step of this project is to start the detailed engineering design in July 2021, and it is proposed to develop the prototype and perform the first test in a Martian analog.