Lightweight flexible shoulder prosthesis with various operation input modalities composed mainly of voice and small safe intuitive feedback device

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20741
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 90150:Medical assistive technology-related
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: Sekine Masashi 千葉大学, 西千葉地区事務部, 技術専門員 (70769182)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 肩義手 / 音声入力 / 握力フィードバック / ソフトアクチュエータ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The shoulder prosthetic system was studied, and its usability is enhanced by using various operation input modalities composed mainly of voice and small safe intuitive feedback device for the part of ankle / ear lobe. The voice operation input was used for three joints (degrees of freedom, DOFs) in five DOFs prosthetic arm. Pneumatic soft actuators were employed for driving four joints (DOFs) for enhancing flexibility, compliance and safety. The prosthetic arm weighs 830 grams without heavy devices such as air compressor, battery and so on. In motion experiments of activities of daily living (ADL), the motion of reaching for, grasping, and drinking bottled water in a standing posture could be reproduced. In the experiment, it takes long time to complete the motion due to failures in the speech recognition. In the future, speeding up and smoothing the motion and reducing the time will be worked on.

Free Research Field

医用システム、機械工学、メカトロニクス、ロボティクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

動力肩義手は多くの関節を要するために操作入力は多く複雑となるが、音声入力を主体として採用することによりユーザの健常部位による動作・操作が少なくなり操作性を向上できる。関節の駆動には空圧ゴムアクチュエータを用い、それにより義手は軽量柔軟性を得ることで利便性安全性の改善に繋がる。さらに義手ハンド把持動作に同期して足首や耳垂部等ユーザの健常部位を掴む/摘まむような形態のソフトフィードバックデバイスは直感的に握力を感知しやすく、使用時の安全性も高めることが可能である。