Measuring force using a magnetic sensor: A novel measurement method for measuring finger tap force and its application to a diagnosis support system for Parkinson's disease

这项研究的目的是对帕金森氏症的严重程度进行量化评估。为此，我们提出了一种在手指敲击运动过程中同时评估手指运动特性、肌力和自主神经活动的新方法。作为这项研究的结果，我们成功地开发了(I)基于指垫僵硬特性的磁传感器来估计手指运动和手指之间的力的方法，(Ii)根据手指敲击运动中的动脉粘弹性特性来评估自主神经活动的指标(称为对数线性化的动脉粘弹性指数)，以及(Iii)用于评估运动功能和支持手指敲击运动的康复训练的新系统。结果表明，该方法可以根据肌肉力量和神经活动来评估运动功能，并有望应用于其他类型的运动。

The purpose of this study is to produce a quantitative evaluation for the severity of Parkinson's disease. To this end, we propose a novel simultaneous evaluation method for finger motion properties, muscle forces and autonomic nervous activity during finger tapping movements. As a consequence of this study, we have successfully developed (i) an estimation method of finger motion and forces between two fingers using a magnetic sensor based on fingerpad stiffness characteristics, (ii) an evaluation index of autonomic nervous activity from arterial viscoelastic properties (called a log-linearized arterial viscoelastic index) during finger tapping movements, and (iii) a novel system for evaluating motor function and supporting rehabilitation training of finger tapping movements. The results suggest that the proposed method can evaluate motor function based on muscle forces and nerve activity, and is expected to be applied to other types of movements.