Development of rehabilitation support system for facilitating surface myoelectric signals by use of training scheme with changing difficulty level

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K11199
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University of Science
• Principal Investigator: Hayashi Ryota 岡山理科大学, 工学部, 教授 (40288949)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 吉田 浩治 岡山理科大学, 工学部, 教授 (00254433) ; 衣笠 哲也 岡山理科大学, 工学部, 教授 (20321474)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 表面筋電位 / 知能ロボティクス / リハビリテーション / 医療・福祉 / 訓練支援 / 技能獲得 / メカトロニクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We proposed a training scheme that can reduce training burdens and conduct continuous training by changing difficulty level for the developed rehabilitation support system. The developed rehabilitation support system is composed of a simple 1-link robot arm which is controlled by estimating the wrist motion from the surface myoelectric signals on the forearm. We conducted training experiments through the voluntary cooperation of several subjects who were healthy young males. Then we got the following results. The proposed scheme could reduce fatigue of the subjects by adjusting rest period and setting maximum number of training times. The subjects could train through all difficulty levels by setting each training goals appropriately. As the results of the training experiments, we confirmed the efficiency of the proposed training scheme.

Free Research Field

ロボット工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

開発した訓練システムを用いて健常者を対象とした訓練実験を行った結果、訓練課題の達成を容易にしてから段階的に難易度を変える手法で継続的な訓練が可能となり、訓練効果が得られることを確認した。リハビリ訓練を開始する初期の片麻痺患者にとって、訓練課題を容易に達成できることは、精神的にも肉体的にも訓練の負担が軽減されるので重要な意味を持つ。訓練を継続することができれば、神経路の強化と再構築が促されるので、提案する訓練システムを片麻痺患者に適用することができれば、回復効果が得られるものと期待できる。