A High Degree-of-Freedom Body-Machine Interface for Children with Severe Motor Impairments

患有严重运动障碍的儿童通常依靠轮椅、机械臂或通讯辅助设备进行日常生活活动。然而，对孩子们来说，学习控制这些复杂的设备可能是一项挑战。在这个项目中，研究人员探索了一种通用的身体-机器接口的开发，它允许儿童使用身体的运动来控制几个设备。这类界面的一个关键优势是，它是非侵入性的，易于佩戴，可以与孩子一起“成长”。该项目将加强对如何利用身体运动来控制外部设备的基本理解，特别是在儿童中。该项目将对严重行动障碍儿童的独立性和生活质量产生影响。这项研究的一个关键挑战是将用户的身体运动转化为可以控制机械臂执行预期任务的命令。解决这一平移问题的传统方法是基于主成分分析(PCA)的，然而，这并不适合于需要控制多个自由度的复杂任务。在这个项目中，研究人员将开发替代的、新颖的方法，这些方法可以充分利用用户的动作指令，还可以产生直观的控制。除了这项研究对残疾人士的生活质素有重大影响外，计划还包括向幼稚园的学生和教师进行外展活动，让他们对STEM感兴趣，并加深他们对残疾和运动发展的了解。它们是：1)利用基于主成分分析的方法控制机器人内部的高自由度运动；2)开发虚拟人体模型方法；3)确定儿童高自由度人体机界面的学习特征。研究的每一个方面都将通过严格的绩效指标进行评估。具体地说，该项目的目标是：使用头部和上半身上的传感器捕获广泛的运动模式；并将解剖学上不同的运动模式映射到使用用户身体的虚拟模型控制机器人手臂的命令。基于来自用户的传感器数据，算法将被用来计算虚拟模型如何弯曲、扭曲和转弯；然后这些变形将被转化为控制机械臂的命令。除了开发这些方法外，研究人员还将通过测试儿童使用这些方法学习控制机械臂的速度来评估这些新方法的直观性。

Children with severe movement impairments often depend on assistive devices such as wheelchairs, robotic arms, or communication aids for activities of their daily lives. However, learning to control these complex devices can be challenging for children. In this project, the investigators explore the development of a general purpose body-machine interface that allows children to control several devices using movements of the body. A key advantage of this type of interface is that it is non-invasive, easy to wear, and can "grow" with the child. The project will enhance basic understanding of how body movements can be exploited to control external devices, especially in children. The project will have an impact on the independence and quality of life for children with severe movement impairments. A key challenge of this research is to translate the body movements of the user into commands that can control the robotic arm for performing an intended task. The traditional approach to this translation problem has been based on principal components analysis (PCA); however, this is not well suited for complex tasks requiring the control of many degrees of freedom. In this project, the investigators will develop alternative, novel methods that can take full advantage of the movement repertoire of the user and can also yield intuitive control. In addition to the significant impact of this research on the quality of life of individuals with disabilities, the project includes outreach to K12 students and teachers to interest them in STEM and improve their understanding of disabilities and motor development.The current work will be carried out through three aims. These are: 1) utilize a principal component analysis-based approach for control of high degree of freedom movements within the robot; 2) develop a virtual body model approach; and 3) determine learning characteristics of high-degree of freedom body machine interfaces in children. Each aspect of the research will be assessed through rigorous performance metrics. Specifically, the objectives of this project are to: capture a wide range of motion patterns using sensors on the head and upper body; and to map anatomically distinct motion patterns to commands for controlling the robot arm using a virtual model of the user's body. Based on the sensor data from the user, algorithms will be used to calculate how the virtual model bends, twists, and turns; and these deformations will then be translated into commands that control the robotic arm. In addition to developing these methods, the investigators will also evaluate the intuitiveness of these new methods by testing how quickly children can learn to control a robotic arm using these methods.