I-Corps: RoboSense - Artificial Tactile Sensors for Prosthetic Applications

I-Corps：RoboSense - 用于假肢应用的人工触觉传感器

• 批准号: 1546693
• 负责人: Jae-Won Choi
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of Akron
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-07-15 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1546693&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; RoboSense; Artificial; Tactile; Sensors

Artificial tactile skins play a critical role in 'sense of touch' for upper limb prosthetics. In general, the prostheses in upper limb amputees lack in holding an object correctly due to insufficient sensing information. This dearth of control causes amputees to often drop grasped objects since it is hard to recognize precisely how the object is grasped. Recent surveys show that amputees desire automatic control of grasping objects to assist prevention of slip. However, the control of detection and prevention of grasped objects from slipping is a challenge, which is a major pain point in the prosthetic hands. Most of current commercial upper-limb prosthetics are not smart, that is they lack sensory components, although they are quite expensive. The suggested artificial tactile sensors will have a huge market impact as they will provide more ergonomic and aesthetic hands with higher functionality. This will allow amputees greater physical and psychological satisfaction. The lower cost of the sensors will reduce the price of prosthetic hands and more individuals with upper limb loss will be able overcome the associated trauma, resume gainful employment and lead a more fulfilling social life.A stretchable multi-layer tactile sensor is suggested with a new developed pressure/temperature-sensitive polymer composite and hybrid 3D printing process. The suggested sensor can detect not only normal and shear forces, but temperature of objects. This sensor has been developed by 3D printing of a skin-like rubber material, bottom stretchable electrodes, pressure/temperature-sensitive polymer composite, top stretchable electrodes and skin material. Since the suggested sensors can be fully customized in size and shape using 3D printing, they can fit to desired prosthetic hands. This sensor can provide the amputee with enough sensing information for the high-functionality manipulation of the upper limb prosthetics. Intellectual merits include advancement of 3D printing technologies for artificial tactile sensors and application of the suggested sensors to 'smart' upper limb prosthetics.

人工触觉皮肤在上肢假肢的“触觉”中起着关键作用。通常，上肢截肢者的假肢由于传感信息不足而无法正确地保持物体。这种缺乏控制的情况导致截肢者经常掉落所抓住的物体，因为很难精确地识别物体是如何被抓住的。最近的调查表明，截肢者希望自动控制抓取物体，以帮助防止滑倒。然而，检测和防止抓取物体滑动的控制是一个挑战，这是假手的主要痛点。目前大多数商业上肢假肢都不智能，即它们缺乏感觉元件，尽管它们相当昂贵。建议的人工触觉传感器将产生巨大的市场影响，因为它们将提供更具人体工程学和美学的手，具有更高的功能。这将使截肢者获得更大的身心满足。传感器的低成本将降低假手的价格，更多上肢丧失的人将能够克服相关的创伤，恢复有报酬的就业，并过上更充实的社会生活。提出了一种可拉伸的多层触觉传感器，采用新开发的压力/温度敏感聚合物复合材料和混合3D打印工艺。该传感器不仅可以检测物体的法向力和剪切力，还可以检测物体的温度。该传感器是通过3D打印皮肤状橡胶材料、底部可拉伸电极、压力/温度敏感聚合物复合材料、顶部可拉伸电极和皮肤材料开发的。由于建议的传感器可以使用3D打印在尺寸和形状上完全定制，因此它们可以适合所需的假手。该传感器可以为截肢者提供足够的传感信息，用于上肢假肢的高功能操作。智能优势包括人工触觉传感器的3D打印技术的进步以及将建议的传感器应用于“智能”上肢假肢。