筋電を用いない動力義手の開発

抄録

An artificial arm is an assistive product which is used if people lose a hand due to injury or illness. Myoelectric artificial arm, which have been developed in recent years, are revolutionary artificial arm that use the weak current generated when contracting muscles as an input signal. However, myoelectric artificial arms are not widely used in Japan due to the severe conditions of payment and the high cost. Therefore, in this laboratory, aiming to reduce the cost of myoelectric artificial arm, we decided to promote the production of artificial arm using 3D printer and pneumatic artificial muscle. The artificial arm consists of a hand tool that opens and closes the hand with an actuator, and a socket that connects the hand tool to the elbow joint. In this study, we developed hand tools aimed at improving ease of use and maintainability. In terms of ease of use, we investigated the use of touch sensors on the fingertips and palm of the artificial arm to automate the gripping movement. In terms of maintainability, we investigated an artificial arm structure that did not use screws so that maintenance could be performed without using tools such as a screwdriver. As a result of the study, we realized an automatic gripping motion using a touch sensor and an artificial arm structure without screws.