Design and Technical Construction of a Tactile Display for Sensory Feedback in a Hand Prosthesis System
Researchers at Lund University in Lund, Sweden are researching the construction of a sensory feedback system in a prosthetic hand. The users of today's commercial prosthetic hands are not given any conscious sensory feedback. To overcome this deficiency in prosthetic hands, a sensory feedback system utilizing a "tactile display" on the remaining amputation residual limb acting as man-machine interface has been proposed. The system uses the recorded pressure in hand prosthesis and feeds back this pressure onto the forearm skin.
A sensory feedback system consisting of five actuators, control electronics and a test application running on a computer has been designed and built. Firstly, which force levels were applied to the forearm skin of the user while the sensory feedback system was operated was investigated. Secondly, the proposed system used together with a myoelectric control system was studied. The displacement of the skin caused by the sensory feedback system would generate artefacts in the recorded myoelectric signals. Accordingly, EMG recordings were performed. The sensory feedback system was also preliminarily evaluated in a laboratory setting on two healthy non-amputated test subjects with a computer generating the stimuli, with regards to spatial resolution and force discrimination.
It was shown that the sensory feedback system generated approximately proportional force to the angle of control. The system can be used together with a myoelectric system as the artefacts, generated by the actuators, were easily removed using a simple filter. Furthermore, the application of the system on two test subjects showed that they were able to discriminate tactile sensation with regards to spatial resolution and level of force. The results of these initial experiments in non-amputees indicate that the proposed tactile display, in its simple form, can be used to relocate tactile input from an artificial hand to the forearm and that the system can coexist with a myoelectric control systems. The proposed system may be a valuable addition to users of myoelectric prosthesis providing conscious sensory feedback during manipulation of objects.
This article is of particular interest to me because of the cutting edge technology and research described in this project. When I was in Germany this past winter break, we went to the Otto Bock factory and saw many prosthetic devices. Some of them included prostheses that were able to be manipulated by the remaining arm. Seeing all the different medical and therapeutic devices that were created to help people simply amazed me by how far technology has come and the possible advances to come in the future. This trip to Otto Bock has made me very interested in this particular area of research and research of prosthetics being able to have complete sensory feedback could be something that I would like to pursue in the future.
http://www.biomedical-engineering-online.com/content/9/1/50
Katherine Wright
VTPP 435-502
A sensory feedback system consisting of five actuators, control electronics and a test application running on a computer has been designed and built. Firstly, which force levels were applied to the forearm skin of the user while the sensory feedback system was operated was investigated. Secondly, the proposed system used together with a myoelectric control system was studied. The displacement of the skin caused by the sensory feedback system would generate artefacts in the recorded myoelectric signals. Accordingly, EMG recordings were performed. The sensory feedback system was also preliminarily evaluated in a laboratory setting on two healthy non-amputated test subjects with a computer generating the stimuli, with regards to spatial resolution and force discrimination.
It was shown that the sensory feedback system generated approximately proportional force to the angle of control. The system can be used together with a myoelectric system as the artefacts, generated by the actuators, were easily removed using a simple filter. Furthermore, the application of the system on two test subjects showed that they were able to discriminate tactile sensation with regards to spatial resolution and level of force. The results of these initial experiments in non-amputees indicate that the proposed tactile display, in its simple form, can be used to relocate tactile input from an artificial hand to the forearm and that the system can coexist with a myoelectric control systems. The proposed system may be a valuable addition to users of myoelectric prosthesis providing conscious sensory feedback during manipulation of objects.
This article is of particular interest to me because of the cutting edge technology and research described in this project. When I was in Germany this past winter break, we went to the Otto Bock factory and saw many prosthetic devices. Some of them included prostheses that were able to be manipulated by the remaining arm. Seeing all the different medical and therapeutic devices that were created to help people simply amazed me by how far technology has come and the possible advances to come in the future. This trip to Otto Bock has made me very interested in this particular area of research and research of prosthetics being able to have complete sensory feedback could be something that I would like to pursue in the future.
http://www.biomedical-engineering-online.com/content/9/1/50
Katherine Wright
VTPP 435-502
posted by Katherine.Wright at 9:49 PM
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