SBIR Phase II: A compact electrotactile sensory feedback system for upper limb prostheses

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力解决了目前商业上可用的仿生假体设备缺乏有用的、现实的反馈的问题。目前还没有可供截肢者使用的通过感觉反馈提供闭环控制的假肢设备。如果没有这种类型的反馈，假肢使用者往往会避免操纵某些物体，因为他们面临着操作不当或损坏它们的风险。因此，市场需要一种用于上肢假肢的富有表现力的感觉反馈系统。这项拟议的研究旨在开发一种能够通过电触觉刺激进行这种反馈的设备。这项研究的预期结果是：一种可以同时调节强度和质量感觉的控制器，以及一项评估该设备与感觉控制器一起部署用于日常操作任务的有效性的用户研究。这些成果有可能恢复全球1000多万上肢截肢者的大量功能，并提高他们的生活质量。这项小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目旨在通过集成能够调节感觉强度和质量的控制系统来增强便携式、高能效的电触觉刺激器。这种刺激器的设计和控制器都是独一无二的。刺激器将整合现有的假手系统。感觉控制器将调整刺激参数，以补偿电极-皮肤界面之间测量的电阻变化，从而降低由于不适而导致设备拒绝的可能性。感觉控制器还将在整个使用过程中保持一致的感觉质量。在第二阶段项目完成后，假体技术将成为符合医疗设备监管标准的市场就绪的感觉反馈系统。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses the current lack of useful, realistic feedback in commercially available bionic prosthetic devices. There are currently no prosthetic devices available to amputees that provide closed loop control through sensory feedback. Without this type feedback, prosthesis users tend to avoid manipulating certain objects because they run the risk of handling them incorrectly or destroying them. Consequently, there is a market need for a richly expressive sensory feedback system for upper limb prosthetics. The proposed research seeks to develop a device capable of such feedback with electrotactile stimulation. The expected outcomes of this research are: a controller that can regulate both intensity and quality sensation and a user study which evaluates the effectiveness of this device deployed with a sensation controller for day-to-day manipulation tasks. These outcomes have the potential to restore a significant amount of function to over 10 million upper limb amputees worldwide and improve their quality of life.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to enhance a portable, energy-efficient electrotactile stimulator, by integrating a control system that will be able to regulate both intensity and quality of sensation. The design and controller of this stimulator are unique. The stimulator will integrate existing prosthetic hand systems. The sensation controller will modulate stimulation parameters to compensate for changes in measured resistance between the electrode-skin interface, thus reducing the likelihood of device rejection due to discomfort. The sensation controller will also maintain a consistent quality of sensation throughout usage. Upon completion of the Phase II project, the prosthetic technology will be a market-ready sensory feedback system that is compliant with regulatory standards for medical equipment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.