The development of Electric Equipment for Disable Upper Extremity -Electric Portable Spring Balancer and Clinical Effect-

四肢瘫痪患者需要设备来帮助他们自己进行日常生活活动。职业治疗师已经开发出可以优化残疾患者上肢平稳运动的设备。1986年，我们开发了一种便携式弹簧平衡器（PSB），以帮助四肢瘫痪患者在手臂无法移动的情况下进食。本项目尝试使用小型电动机来操纵PSB弹簧的张力，并通过使用其剩余功能（面部、颈部或足部的运动）来控制张力传感器的控制系统来制造电动便携式弹簧平衡器（EPSB）。因此，EPSB弹簧的张力可以很容易地调整到病人或护理人员。我们制作了三维设备来估计病人使用EPSB时手臂的运动。该设备向我们展示了四肢瘫痪患者手臂痕迹的详细数据。未来，基于这些数据的新设备将有助于使四肢瘫痪患者的日常生活更加舒适。

Quadriplegic patients need devices to help them perform their daily living activities by themselves. Occupational therapists have developed equipment that can optimize smooth movements of the upper extremity of disabled patients. In 1986, we developed a Portable Spring Balancer (PSB) to help quadriplegic patients to eat despite immovable arms. This equipment has a spring to lift the affected arm.The present project attempted to make an Electric Portable Spring Balancer (EPSB) using a small electric motor to manipulate the tension of the spring of the PSB, and a control system for the tension sensor by using the remainder of their function, the movement of face, neck or foot. As the result, the tension of the EPSB spring can easily be adjusted to patients or a caregiver.We made the three dimensional equipment to estimate the movement of the arm when patients use the EPSB. The equipment shows us detail data of the trace of quadriplegic patient's arm. In the future, new equipment based on these data will help to make the daily lives of quadriplegic patients more comfortable.