For the human hand rehabilitation, the palmar opposition is an important function to evaluate the recovery of hand motor capabilities. This paper proposes an exoskeleton-type hand rehabilitation assistive device which is able to be applied to index finger as well as thumb. The kinematics and workspace of index fingertip and thumb-tip are analyzed. The `opposition space’ is defined as the intersection of the workspace of thumb-tip and the index fingertip. A metric, what we call `opposition degree’, which is defined as the ratio of volume of opposition space to that of the index fingertip workspace, is proposed to present the available degree of opposition. As an example, the opposition degree of a human hand model is determined. This metric can also used to rate the ergonomic performance of the hand rehabilitation assistive device. This method can be applied to other fingers as well. The opposition simulation experiment is conducted to verify the kinematics of the proposed exoskeleton.

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Категория: Научные статьи | Нет комментариев »

Точнее сказать, водой следует заправлять новое устройство, которое способно поставлять энергию для любой переносной электроники в чистом поле днём и ночью, поскольку не зависит от розеток или солнечного света. Инновация понравится военным, спортсменам и путешественникам.

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Категория: Энергия | 3 комментария »

Категория: Ищем научные статьи | Нет комментариев »

This paper presents the complete development of the Simbiosis Smart Walker. The device is equipped with a set of sensor subsystems to acquire user-machine interaction forces and the temporal evolution of user’s feet during gait. The authors present an adaptive filtering technique used for the identification and separation of different components found on the human-machine interaction forces. This technique allowed isolating the components related with the navigational commands and develo-ping a Fuzzy logic controller to guide the device. The Smart Walker was clinically validated at the Spinal Cord Injury Hospital of Toledo — Spain, presenting great acceptability by spinal chord injury patients and clinical staff.

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Категория: Научные статьи | 1 Комментарий »

Robotic systems that are interfaced with virtual reality gaming and task simulations are increasingly being developed to provide repetitive intensive practice to promote increased compliance and facilitate better outcomes in rehabilitation post-stroke. A major development in the use of virtual environments (VEs) has been to incorporate tactile information and interaction forces into what was previously an essentially visual experience. Robots of varying complexity are being interfaced with more traditional virtual presentations to provide haptic feedback that enriches the sensory experience and adds physical task parameters. This provides forces that produce biomechanical and neuromuscular inter-actions with the VE that approximate real-world movement more accurately than visual-only VEs, simulating the weight and force found in upper extremity tasks. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of several systems that are commercially available for ambulation training and for training movement of the upper extremity. We will also report on the system that we have developed (NJIT-RAVR system) that incorporates motivating and challenging haptic feedback effects into VE simulations to facilitate motor recovery of the upper extremity post-stroke. The NJIT-RAVR system trains both the upper arm and the hand. The robotic arm acts as an interface between the participants and the VEs, enabling multiplanar movements against gravity in a three-dimensional workspace. The ultimate question is whether this medium can provide a motivating, challenging, gaming experience with dramatically decreased physical difficulty levels, which would allow for participation by an obese person and facilitate greater adherence to exercise regimes.

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Категория: Научные статьи | 1 Комментарий »