1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF ARTIFICIAL LIMB SYSTEMS WHICH WILL ALLOW VOLUNTARY MOVEMENT AND BE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING PATIENTS WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF SOMATIC SENSATION
| Project/Area Number |
09450103
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
MABUCHI Kunihiko Center for Collaborative Research, The University of Tokyo, Professor, 国際・産学共同研究センター, 教授 (50192349)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
CHINZEI Tsuneo Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Associate Professor, 先端科学技術研究センター, 助教授 (20197643)
KUNIMOTO Masanari Department of Neurology, Yokohama Rosai Hospital, Director, 神経内科, 部長(研究員)
ISHIKAWA Masatoshi Graduate school of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Professor, 大学院・工学系研究科, 教授 (40212857)
SUZUKI Takafumi Center for Collaborative Research, The Univ. of Tokyo, Research Associate, 国際・産学共同研究センター, 助手 (50302659)
GEN-NO Hirokazu Human systems Department, Mechatronics Research Center, Sanyo Electric. Co. Ltd., Manager, メカトロニクス研究所, 担当課長(研究員)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1999
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| Keywords | artificial limb / artificial sensation / control of robot hands / micro-neural-electrode / microneurography / nerve regeneration / functional electrical stimulation / pressure-conductive rubber |
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| Research Abstract |
SENSORY FUNCTIONS
We firstly clarified the qualitative and quantitative relationship between the microelectrostimulation (which is input intraneurally into a single slowly-adapting (SA) mechanoreceptor unit) and the intensities and areas of the evoked pressure sensations using awake human volunteers. Electrical microstimulation performed with tungsten microelectrode using square-wave pulses revealed that the subjective magnitude of the evoked sensation was appeared to be related to a positive power of the frequency ; however, there was essentially no change in the amplitude of the electrical stimulation. Next, we developed a prototype of an artificial arm system capable of sensing mechanical stimuli and then transferring and displaying these stimuli to the subject as the corresponding somatic sensations using the same technique and the results as stated above. A robot hand system was used as an artificial system ; its finger was covered with a sheet of pressure-conductive rubber. Pressu
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re was then applied to the pressure-conductive rubber ; a microcomputer used the output voltage of the pressure-conductive rubber to determine the frequency of the electrical pulses for stimulating the sensory nerve fiber, and these electrical pulses were then output to the sensory nerve fiber via the tungsten microelectrode so that the pressure sensation was evoked at the projected area. The system worked in a satisfactory manner, and the subjects could feel the pressure sensation resulting from the pressure that was applied to the pressure conductive-rubber of the robot hand.
MOTOR FUNCTIONS
We attempted to control the movement of the hand and fingers by the stimulating motor nerve fibers directly with electrical pulses via the tungsten microelectrode. However, there were only two cases in which vie could record motor nerve signals and move the concerned muscle by electrically stimulating the motor nerve fiber.
We are currently investigating methods for improving the S/N ratio of the recorded signals. Less
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