Algorithmic control of a multifunction hand prosthesis
Algorithmic control of a multifunction hand prosthesis
Research in the Control Engineering Group at Southampton University has established and demonstrated the principles of hierarchical control of multiple degree of freedom prosthetic hands. Through a number of prototypes the concept has been refined. The control is made as simple as possible. The user issues instruction via a single electromyographic channel and an electronic controller manages the grip posture and tension, adapting it to the most suitable shape, depending on the outline and size of the object. The details of the object are gained from sensors upon and within the artificial hand. Thus the conscious control by the user is minimised. The most recent work, which forms the substance of this thesis, is based on experiments using two different prostheses, controlled in the same hierarchical way. The first hand is a specially designed four degree of freedom prosthesis. Attention was paid in the design to ease of manufacture and potential production of the device. This prosthesis was controlled by an integrated circuit microprocessor and manual tasks were performed by the author, using the hand upon a splint, mounted on his own arm. An additional hand was based on a commercial single degree of freedom hand. The entire system including the electronic controller was made portable so that it could be worn in the field by the user of a conventional artificial hand and an assessment of its practicality made. The transducers used were adapted and improved for application upon the hands and sensors designed to detect both object contact and slip was developed. In addition different techniques for detecting object movement were explored. The resulting experience allowed a nunber of recommendations to be made concerning the future research in prosthetics as well as more general applications for an adaptive hand.
University of Southampton
1990
Kyberd, Peter Joseph
(1990)
Algorithmic control of a multifunction hand prosthesis.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Research in the Control Engineering Group at Southampton University has established and demonstrated the principles of hierarchical control of multiple degree of freedom prosthetic hands. Through a number of prototypes the concept has been refined. The control is made as simple as possible. The user issues instruction via a single electromyographic channel and an electronic controller manages the grip posture and tension, adapting it to the most suitable shape, depending on the outline and size of the object. The details of the object are gained from sensors upon and within the artificial hand. Thus the conscious control by the user is minimised. The most recent work, which forms the substance of this thesis, is based on experiments using two different prostheses, controlled in the same hierarchical way. The first hand is a specially designed four degree of freedom prosthesis. Attention was paid in the design to ease of manufacture and potential production of the device. This prosthesis was controlled by an integrated circuit microprocessor and manual tasks were performed by the author, using the hand upon a splint, mounted on his own arm. An additional hand was based on a commercial single degree of freedom hand. The entire system including the electronic controller was made portable so that it could be worn in the field by the user of a conventional artificial hand and an assessment of its practicality made. The transducers used were adapted and improved for application upon the hands and sensors designed to detect both object contact and slip was developed. In addition different techniques for detecting object movement were explored. The resulting experience allowed a nunber of recommendations to be made concerning the future research in prosthetics as well as more general applications for an adaptive hand.
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Published date: 1990
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Local EPrints ID: 460691
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/460691
PURE UUID: 40d1cdf6-c05d-4c6b-b9f5-f635b86ea775
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 18:27
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 18:27
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Author:
Peter Joseph Kyberd
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