SBIR Phase I: Wearable Grippers for Hemiplegic Patients

SBIR 第一阶段：偏瘫患者的可穿戴抓手

• 批准号: 1548953
• 负责人: Haruhiko Asada
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Boston Incubation Center LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2016-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1548953&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Wearable; Grippers; Hemiplegic

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be significant. Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term severe disability. In US alone almost 800,000 people suffer from stroke each year, with 55% to 75% surviving stroke patients have chronic limb impairment that hinders quality of life with significant disability. This wearable gripper will enable these patents to perform basic daily tasks such as holding a walker stably for functional mobility, opening the cap of a jar, putting on clothes, or pouring water into a glass. By regaining control of basic daily activities, not only the quality of life can improve, but the sense of independence can also help rebuild patients? confidence. In certain cases, this could even accelerate functional recovery. The wearable gripper will be designed with look and feel of popular consumer electronics that can easily gain acceptance of patients that can benefit from it. Its price point will also be in the range comparable to consumer electronics. With innovative electromechanical design and intelligent algorithm, this wearable gripper can learn the wearer?s specific need, a truly adaptive helping hand. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is aimed to develop a compact robotic gripper that can be worn on a person?s arm to assist the wearer in performing daily routine chores. The first target user group of this wearable robotic gripper will be hemiplegic patients who lost control of half side of the body. This lightweight robotic gripper can be worn on the affected arm of a hemiplegic patient and work with the functional arm in a coordinated manner to perform a variety of daily chores. An instrumented wristband with haptic feedback can be worn on the functional arm that senses movement of the arm as well as muscle tension; sensor signals are transmitted to the robotic gripper that can interpret wristband signals and maneuver accordingly. The haptic feedback in the wristband allows the wearer to sense gripper movement and make adjustment if needed. This product must be lightweight and easy to wear with minimal discomfort. Compact sensors, actuators and soft plastics commonly used in wearable consumer devices will be explored. A prototype will be built and preliminary test data will be analyzed to identify key design requirements and engineering specifications for this groundbreaking product.

该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将是巨大的。中风是导致长期严重残疾的主要原因之一。仅在美国，每年就有近800，000人患有中风，其中55%至75%的存活中风患者患有慢性肢体损伤，这阻碍了生活质量并伴有严重残疾。这种可穿戴的夹具将使这些专利能够执行基本的日常任务，例如稳定地握住步行者以实现功能性移动，打开罐子的盖子，穿上衣服，或者将水倒入玻璃杯中。通过重新控制基本的日常活动，不仅生活质量可以提高，而且独立感也可以帮助重建患者？信心在某些情况下，这甚至可以加速功能恢复。这种可穿戴式夹持器的设计将具有流行的消费电子产品的外观和感觉，可以很容易地获得患者的接受，从而从中受益。其价格也将与消费电子产品相当。通过创新的机电设计和智能算法，这款可穿戴抓手可以学习穿戴者？的具体需要，一个真正适应的帮助之手。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的目的是开发一个紧凑的机器人夹具，可以穿在一个人？的手臂，以协助佩戴者在执行日常琐事。这种可穿戴机器人抓手的第一个目标用户群将是失去对身体一侧控制的偏瘫患者。这种轻便的机器人夹持器可以戴在偏瘫患者的受影响手臂上，并以协调的方式与功能手臂一起工作，以执行各种日常家务。具有触觉反馈的仪器化腕带可以佩戴在功能臂上，其感测臂的运动以及肌肉张力;传感器信号被传输到机器人夹持器，机器人夹持器可以解释腕带信号并相应地操纵。腕带中的触觉反馈允许佩戴者感知抓持器的移动并在需要时进行调整。 该产品必须重量轻，易于佩戴，最大限度地减少不适。将探索可穿戴消费设备中常用的紧凑型传感器、执行器和软塑料。将建立一个原型，并分析初步测试数据，以确定这一突破性产品的关键设计要求和工程规范。