Voice Recognition for Improved Prosthesis Control

PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT It is generally agreed that only about half of upper limbULamputees wear a prosthesisand this is often because it does not return enough function for the burdens of weightdiscomfortuncosmetic appearancelack of durabilityetcOne primary reason for lack of prosthesis acceptance is the lack of ability to control the device effectivelyDifficulties with control result because multiple prosthetic joints are being controlled with a limited number of input optionsUpper limb amputee customers are looking for solutions that allow them to regain the function they lost after their amputationAlsohuman speech is the most natural and highest bandwidth form of human communicationThereforeLTI and its partners propose to develop the Voice Activated Prosthesis InterfaceVAPIwhich will add the ability for the user to use their voices to generate control signals for their prosthesisThe VAPI will provide the ability to control movements that were previously inaccessible due to the lack of control inputs as well as the ability to fluidly perform tasks that require coordinated sequential movementssuch as opening a doorThe VAPI will likely improve the amputeeandapos s ability and ease to control multiple prosthetic joints and or hand grasp patternsThis improved control will likely lead to improved functional outcomesimproved ability to complete activities of daily livingADLsand increased prosthetic useBy increasing prosthesis usewe aim to reduce overuse injuries that are often encountered by amputees over relying on their intact handThese factors are important as a large majority of UL amputees are under the age ofand still have a long life aheadOur main goals for this Phase I SBIR proposal are toIdentifyacquireand evaluate hardware and software to implement voice recognition control of an upperlimb prosthesisImplement the necessary interfaces to allow for communication between the VR system components andthe prosthesisEvaluate the performance of the proof of concept prototype on amputee subjects during performance oftasks associated with daily use of the device PROJECT NARRATIVE The aims to improve amputeesandaposability and ease to control multiple prosthetic joints and or hand grasp patternsThis improved control will likely lead to improved functional outcomesimproved ability to complete activities of daily livingADLsand increased prosthetic useBy increasing prosthesis usewe aim to reduce overuse injuries that are often encountered by amputees over relying on their intact hand