EdemaFlex: Textile-Based Soft-Robotic Platform Toward Personalized Hand Edema Therapy
EdemaFlex: Textile-Based Soft-Robotic Platform Toward Personalized Hand Edema Therapy
Hand edema, defined as swelling of the hands caused by excess fluid accumulation, is a pervasive condition affecting a person's range of motion and functional ability. However, treatment strategies remain limited to time-consuming manual massage by trained therapists, deterring a widely accessible approach. We present EdemaFlex, a robotic textile device that allows sequential compression from distal to proximal finger phalanges for mobilizing edema.
Health inequity manifests in various forms, from financial barriers to limited healthcare distribution, yet physical access to treatment remains one of the most pressing challenges. Building on our previous work with KnitDema and MediKnit, we introduce full-hand gloves designed to address these societal and healthcare access issues.
Our work extends prior efforts by presenting a comprehensive, programmable, and prescriptive therapy model for edema, evaluated through an "in-the-wild" study to validate its practical viability. This model incorporates three core innovations: (1) deployment in real-world environments, (2) a customized full-hand glove tailored for edema therapy, and (3) an accessible software platform that enables therapy customization and seamless adaptation to existing computerized knitting systems for personalized care. Together, these advancements represent a significant step toward equitable, home-based edema care that prioritizes accessibility and adaptability for diverse patient needs.
Publications:
EdemaFlex: Textile-Based Soft-Robotic Platform Toward Personalized Hand Edema Therapy
Seonyoung Youn, Arhan Choudhury, Pin-Sung Ku, Wenyi Fu, Margaret Tsai, Hsin-Liu (Cindy) Kao
Project Credits: Hybrid Body Lab at Cornell University, in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine
Research Team: Seonyoung Youn (Project Lead), Arhan Choudhury, Wenyi Fu, Joan Stilling, Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao (Lab Director)
EdemaFlex consists of machine-knitted semi-glove and hardware to compress edematous hands sequentially. The device covers the whole hand and uses embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) bands to mobilize edema fluid from the fingertip to the base. (Photo: Hybrid Body Lab)
