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

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将主要惠及手部截肢者。触觉反馈是人类操作的一个重要组成部分，对于手部截肢的人来说，失去这种反馈是最痛苦的。目前还没有假肢设备可以通过触觉反馈来控制截肢者。如果没有触觉反馈，假肢使用者往往会避免操作许多原本可以操作的物体，因为他们有破坏物体的风险。因此，上肢义肢需要具有丰富表达能力的感觉反馈系统。拟议的研究将产生一种能够通过电触觉刺激进行反馈的设备。这些结果有可能使全球超过1000万手部截肢者恢复大量功能，并改善他们的生活质量。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）的第一阶段项目涉及开发一种便携式、节能的电触觉刺激器，这种电触觉刺激器可以很容易地放入手部假肢的插座中，为用户提供有用的感官反馈。该刺激器将与现有的假肢控制系统集成。它将使用标准的现成组件构建，具有足够小的外形因素，可以轻松地安装到各种不同的假肢插座中，并且在与假手及其控制系统一起操作时至少运行12小时。为了提高感觉质量，将部署一种能够持续长期刺激的感觉控制器，以减少因不适而导致设备拒绝的可能性。本研究的预期结果是1)一种便携式、经济高效和节能的电触觉刺激器，可以很容易地放入假肢使用者的插座中，并与他们的假手集成；2)一项用户研究，评估该设备在日常操作任务中部署感觉控制器的有效性。第一阶段原型的能力将在第二阶段得到扩展，以交付符合医疗设备监管标准的市场就绪的感官反馈系统。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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 I project will primarily benefit people with hand amputations. Touch feedback is a critical component of human manipulation, and its loss is most poignant in people with hand amputations. There are currently no prosthetic devices available to amputees that provide control through touch sensory feedback. Without touch feedback, prosthetic users tend to avoid manipulating many objects they otherwise could because they run the risk of destroying them. Consequently, there is a market need for a richly expressive sensory feedback system for upper limb prosthetics. The proposed research will yield a device capable of such feedback with electrotactile stimulation. These outcomes have the potential to restore a significant amount of function to over 10 million people with hand amputations worldwide and improve their quality of life.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project involves development of a portable, energy-efficient electrotactile stimulator that can be easily placed into the sockets of hand prosthetics to give users useful sensory feedback. The stimulator will integrate with existing prosthetic control systems. It will be built using standard off-the-shelf components, have a form factor small enough to easily fit into a variety of different prosthetic sockets, and operate for at least 12 hours while operating alongside a prosthetic hand and its control system. To improve sensation quality, a sensation controller that enables consistent long-term stimulation will be deployed, reducing the likelihood of device rejection due to discomfort. The expected outcomes of this research are 1) a portable, cost effective and energy efficient electrotactile stimulator that can be easily placed into the socket of a prosthetic user and integrated with their prosthetic hand; and 2) a user study which evaluates the effectiveness of this device deployed with a sensation controller for daily manipulation tasks. The capabilities of the Phase I prototype will be extended in Phase II for delivery of 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.