# Review of Soft Robotic Gloves and Functional Electrical Stimulation Affecting Hand Function Rehabilitation for Stroke Patients

## TL;DR

This paper reviews soft robotic gloves and electrical stimulation for hand rehabilitation in stroke patients, focusing on recent advances and future directions.

## Contribution

The paper systematically examines progress in hybrid hand rehabilitation systems and identifies future research directions.

## Key findings

- Soft robotic gloves are effective for hand rehabilitation due to their lightweight and safe design.
- Functional electrical stimulation shows promise in restoring muscle strength and promoting neural reorganization.
- Hybrid systems face challenges in portability, user-friendliness, and wearability.

## Abstract

Stroke often results in impaired hand motor function, making effective hand rehabilitation essential for restoring activities of daily living (ADLs). Motor rehabilitation and neurorehabilitation are two major pathways to functional recovery. Rehabilitation gloves have proven to be effective tools for motor rehabilitation, and among them, soft robotic gloves (SRGs) have emerged as a research focus due to their lightweight design and inherent safety. Functional electrical stimulation (FES), which applies electrical currents to muscles and nerves, shows promise in promoting motor neural reorganization and restoring muscle strength in the hands of stroke survivors. The technologies applied to hand rehabilitation must possess the characteristics of safety, comfort, and practicality, while overcoming critical challenges such as portability, user-friendliness, and wearability. Motivated by the rehabilitation needs of post-stroke patients, this paper reviews recent advances in SRGs, FES, and hybrid hand rehabilitation systems (HHRSs) for hand rehabilitation, systematically examining progress in actuation strategies, intention sensing, and control algorithms across these three technologies. Furthermore, the limitations and technical challenges of current HHRSs are analyzed and four key future research directions are identified to pave the way for further development in this field.