Low-cost Tactile Sensing and Intelligent Reflexes for Prosthetic Hands

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Myoelectric prosthetic hand users are severely hampered in their ability to grasp and manipulate fragile objects. In these systems, electromyography (EMG) signals recorded from an amputee's residual muscles are processed to produce an electrical voltage proportional to muscle activation to drive the DC motors of a prosthetic hand. With training, users can voluntarily open, close and stop the hand with proportional control over the speed of the fingertips. If the user applies a continuous EMG signal to grasp an object, the motors driving the fingertips will stall on the object, producing high grasping forces of 30-100N depending on the EMG amplitude. Such high forces make it very challenging to grasp fragile objects without damaging them. Careful control and timing of EMG signals can be used to move the fingers at very slow speeds, stopping them before a fragile object is crushed; however, this approach requires direct vision, intense concentration, and has inconsiste