SBIR Phase I: Artificial Hand with Internal Visual Feedback

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段的研究项目提出了一个微型机械手的发展-“人工手与内部视觉反馈”-为广泛的机器人操作的微型。从加州大学洛杉矶分校的初步研究演变而来，该设备将由一个四指关节控制的机械手组成，该机械手将与成像系统相结合。使用硅微机械加工来制造每个手指的多个指骨，光纤成像和照明束，以及微光学器件将允许整个设备装入直径为2毫米的管中。该设备将能够精确处理非常小的样品，并为人类操作员提供即时的视觉反馈，将成为仅提供触觉反馈的机器人手的替代品。将有许多机会将拟议的微型机械手技术集成到工业，特别是医疗应用中。一个毫米大小的，高度灵活的，水/血液兼容的，具有内置的可视化功能的操作仪器将是非常有价值的显微外科手术。这样的仪器将立即用于胃、耳鼻咽喉，特别是血管内环境。小规模机械和电气组件的修理和检查以及细小零件的回收也将受益于拟议装置的“手中有眼”能力。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project proposes the development of a mini-manipulator -- "Artificial Hand with Internal Visual Feedback" -- for a wide range of robotic manipulations on the miniscale. Evolving from initial studies at UCLA, this device will be comprised of a four-finger pneumatically controlled manipulator that will be coupled with an imaging system. The use of silicon micromachining to fabricate multiple phalanges per finger, a fiber optic imaging and illuminating bundle, and micro optics will allow the entire device to fit into a two-millimeter diameter tube. This device, which will enable the precise handling of very small samples and provide immediate visual feedback to a human operator, will be an alternative to the robotic hands that provide only tactile feedback. There will be numerous opportunities to integrate the proposed mini-manipulator technology into industrial, and particularly medical, applications. A millimeter-sized, highly flexible, water/blood compatible, manipulation instrument with built-in visualization capabilities would be extremely valuable in microsurgical procedures. Such an instrument would find immediate use in gastric, ear-nose-throat, and particularly intravascular environments. The repair and inspection of small-scale mechanical andelectrical assemblies, and the retrieval of fine parts, would also benefit from the "eye-in-the hand" capabilities of the proposed device.