A Child's Body-Powered Prehensor with Adaptive Grasp

描述（由申请人提供）：传统的身体动力辅助器具旨在帮助上肢缺陷的儿童，已被证明不足以进行某些活动，最明显的是玩耍。这些系统中有助于抓握功能的关键组件（称为抓握器或终端设备）必须在儿童希望完成的活动的功能和希望他们的孩子具有正常外观的父母的美容之间取得平衡。父母通常会选择更多旨在模仿解剖手的美容设备，而研究表明儿童更喜欢功能更强的设备。那些选择更多功能的设备的人经常发现现有的单元对于游戏活动提供令人失望或不足的性能，因为它们需要太多的线缆偏移或操作效率低下，并且需要太多的线缆张力来实现抓握。这些问题使许多儿童在他们应该学习终身假肢使用技能的时候没有可接受的设备。在第一阶段，ADA展示了专门为儿童日常活动设计的智能控制器的技术可行性。一个自适应数字的设计，提供封闭的把握儿童主要使用，而不是高力捏抓成人常见的。还包括一个可变机械优势（VMA）抓持引擎，有效地转换成质量，稳定的把握电缆偏移和张力。该引擎显著提高了所获得的抓握力与输入线缆张力的比率（称为前向力比率，FFR）。ADA的原型达到了0.78的最大FFR，而当前器械的平均FFR为0.2。最终的结果是，孩子们可以用更少的体力消耗获得更高水平的抓握力，让他们自由地做他们最渴望的事情-玩耍。第二阶段的工作重点是改进经过验证的第一阶段原型设计，以1）最大限度地降低其商业制造成本，使收入有限的家庭受益，2）验证其在儿童用户实际服务中的性能。为了获得商业上的认可，将纳入被动保持能力和改善美观等其他功能。ADA将与施里纳斯医院网络中的执业修复师合作，完成设计阶段和临床评估。通过与施里纳合作，ADA将与全国领先的儿童假肢护理和设备提供商建立早期的工作关系。在整个过程中，ADA将通过不断与外部合作伙伴合作，以确保满足儿童的抓握需求仍然是努力的核心和明确的重点，从而保持对商业可行性的关注。如果成功的话，第二阶段的努力将产生一个功能上上级于目前所有可用的传统干扰器的儿童干扰器。为了确保父母和孩子的成功，ADA将包括市场驱动的美容功能，以及自适应抓握，VMA和被动握持能力。第二阶段的工作将利用这项技术来创建一个对第三阶段投资者有吸引力的实体。由于市场规模小，上肢缺陷的儿童只能使用不适合其特殊需要的假肢。本研究旨在开发一种功能性的替代品，专门设计用于在日常使用和化妆品接受方面优于现有设备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Conventional body-powered assistive appliances intended to help children having upper limb deficiencies have proven inadequate for some activities, most notably play. The critical component in these systems that contributes grasp functionality, called a prehensor or terminal device, must strike a balance between functionality for activities children wish to accomplish and cosmesis for parents who desire their child have a normal appearance. Parents most often select more cosmetic devices designed to mimic the anatomical hand, while studies have shown children prefer devices that are more functional. Those who do select more functional devices often find existing units offer disappointing or inadequate performance for play activities as they require too much cable excursion or operate inefficiently and demand too much cable tension to effect grasp. These problems leave many children without an acceptable device at precisely the time they should be learning lifelong prosthetics usage skills. In Phase I, ADA demonstrated the technical feasibility of a prehensor designed specifically for children's daily activities. An adaptive digit was designed that provides the enclosing grasp children primarily use as opposed to high-force pinching grasp common for adults. Also included was a Variable Mechanical Advantage (VMA) grasping engine that efficiently transforms cable excursion and tension into quality, stable grasp. This engine significantly improves the ratio of grip force achieved to the input cable tension (called the forward force ratio, FFR). ADA's prototype achieved a maximum FFR of 0.78, as compared to current devices which average an FFR of 0.2. The end result is that children can achieve higher levels of gripping force with less physical exertion, freeing them to do what they desire most-play. This Phase II effort will focus on refining the proven Phase I prototype design to 1) minimize its commercial manufacturing cost to benefit families of limited means and 2) validate its performance in actual service with children users. To gain commercial acceptance, additional features such as passive holding capacity and improved cosmesis will be incorporated. ADA will work with practicing prosthetists in the Shriners Hospital network through the design phase and into clinical evaluations. By partnering with Shriners, ADA will establish an early, working relationship with the nation's leading provider of child's prosthetic care and equipment. Throughout, ADA will maintain focus on commercial viability by constantly working with outside partners to ensure satisfying children's grasping needs remain central to the effort and in crisp focus. If successful, the Phase II effort will produce a child's prehensor that is functionally superior to all currently available conventional prehensors. To ensure success with parents as well as children, ADA will include market-driven cosmetic features in addition to adaptive grasp, VMA, and passive holding capability. The Phase II effort will leverage this technology to create an entity that will be attractive to Phase III investors. Due to the small market size, children with upper limb deficiencies are made to get by with prosthetics not suited to their special needs. This research seeks to develop a functional prehensor designed specifically to outperform available devices in both daily use and cosmetic acceptance.