Design and Validation of a Wearable Device for Upper Limb Tremor Suppression

Abstract

This master thesis at NTNU, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, presents the development process of a device for upper-limb tremor suppression. People who suffers from tremor struggles with daily tasks as writing, drinking and eating. Today, medication is the most common treatment together with neurosurgery. Both solutions might lead to severe side-effects, and the effectiveness of both solutions might decrease over time. The problem was first assessed in the course Experts in Team at NTNU in the spring of 2017. A solution based on piezo elements actively suppressing the tremors was suggested. As the piezo elements needed too high voltage to be used on the human body, this master thesis aimed to seek other solutions of the problem. A Semi-active Dynamic Vibration Absorber (DVA) is suggested as the main concept to suppress the tremors. A test of the concept has been done, and possibilities of implementing the concept in a device has been investigated. The test and research indicate that the Semi-active Dynamic Vibration Absorber is a good option to suppress tremors in the hands, due to its low need for power, low weight and possibility to adapt to different frequencies. A design of the DVA that suggests two damping masses and adaptable eigenfrequency is presented.