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

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力，解决了目前缺乏有用的，现实的反馈，在商业上可用的仿生假肢设备。目前没有可用于截肢者的通过感觉反馈提供闭环控制的假肢装置。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，因为他们冒着错误处理或破坏它们的风险。因此，市场需要一种用于上肢假肢的丰富表现力的感觉反馈系统。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。本研究的预期成果是：控制器，可以调节强度和质量的感觉和用户研究，评估该设备部署的感觉控制器的有效性，为日常操作任务。这些成果有可能使全球超过1000万上肢截肢者恢复大量功能，并改善他们的生活质量。这个小型企业创新研究（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，增强便携式节能电触觉刺激器。该刺激器的设计和控制器是独特的。 刺激器将整合现有的假手系统。感觉控制器将调节刺激参数以补偿电极-皮肤界面之间的测量电阻的变化，从而降低由于不适而导致的设备拒绝的可能性。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，假肢技术将成为一个符合医疗设备监管标准的市场化感觉反馈系统。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.