Embedded Electrotactile Feedback System for Hand Prostheses Using Matrix Electrode and Electronic Skin
Embedded Electrotactile Feedback System for Hand Prostheses Using Matrix Electrode and Electronic Skin
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DOI：
10.1109/tbcas.2021.3107723
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发表时间：
2021-10-01
影响因子：
5.1
通讯作者：
Valle, Maurizio
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Abbass, Yahya;Saleh, Moustafa;Valle, Maurizio
随着技术向更像人类的仿生肢体发展，有必要开发一种反馈系统，为假肢手的用户提供主动触摸反馈。大多数当代感觉替代方法都包括简单的位置和力传感器，并结合了很少的离散刺激单元，因此它们的特征是可以通过反馈传输的信息量有限。本研究描述了一种新的触觉反馈系统集成先进的多点传感（电子皮肤）和刺激（矩阵电极）。该系统包括集成在米开朗基罗假手模型的食指上的柔性感测阵列（16个传感器）、嵌入式接口电子器件和连接到柔性矩阵电极（24个垫）的多通道刺激器。所开发的系统将联系人信息（二进制检测）传递给用户。为了证明可行性，该系统在六名身体健全的受试者中进行了测试，这些受试者被要求识别具有两种不同空间分辨率的静态模式（接触位置）和动态运动模式（即，沿着和/或跨过手指滑动）。实验表明，该系统成功地将机械交互转化为电触觉轮廓，受试者可以识别出良好的性能。静态模式的成功率（平均值+/-标准差）分别为91 +/- 4%和58 +/- 10%，对于低和高空间分辨率，而滑动触摸的成功率为94 +/-4%。这些结果表明，开发的系统是迈向新一代的触觉反馈接口，可以提供用户和他/她的仿生肢体之间的高带宽连接的重要一步。这样的系统将允许模仿空间分布的自然反馈，从而促进人工设备到用户身体方案中的控制和实施。
As the technology moves towards more human-like bionic limbs, it is necessary to develop a feedback system that provides active touch feedback to a user of a prosthetic hand. Most of the contemporary sensory substitution methods comprise simple position and force sensors combined with few discrete stimulation units, and hence they are characterized with a limited amount of information that can be transmitted by the feedback. The present study describes a novel system for tactile feedback integrating advanced multipoint sensing (electronic skin) and stimulation (matrix electrodes). The system comprises a flexible sensing array (16 sensors) integrated on the index finger of a Michelangelo prosthetic hand mockup, embedded interface electronics and multichannel stimulator connected to a flexible matrix electrode (24 pads). The developed system conveys contact information (binary detections) to the user. To demonstrate the feasibility, the system was tested in six able-bodied subjects who were asked to recognize static patterns (contact position) with two different spatial resolutions and dynamic movement patterns (i.e., sliding along and/or across the finger) presented on the electronic skin. The experiments demonstrated that the system successfully translated the mechanical interaction into electrotactile profiles, which the subjects could recognize with good performance. The success rates (mean +/- standard deviation) for the static patterns were 91 +/- 4% and 58 +/- 10% for low and high spatial resolution, respectively, while the success rate for sliding touch was 94 +/- 4%. These results demonstrate that the developed system is an important step towards a new generation of tactile feedback interfaces that can provide high-bandwidth connection between the user and his/her bionic limb. Such systems would allow mimicking spatially distributed natural feedback, thereby facilitating the control and embodiment of the artificial device into the user body scheme.