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Scientists Bring the Sense of Touch to a Robotic Arm

posted by martyb on Saturday May 22 2021, @03:16AM   
from the touching-development dept.

takyon writes:

Scientists Bring The Sense Of Touch To A Robotic Arm

A robotic arm with a sense of touch has allowed a man who is paralyzed to quickly perform tasks like pouring water from one cup into another.

The robotic arm provides tactile feedback directly to the man's brain as he uses his thoughts to control the device, a team reports [DOI: 10.1126/science.abd0380] [DX] Thursday in the journal Science.

Previous versions of the arm required the participant, Nathan Copeland, to guide the arm using vision alone.

"When I only had visual feedback, I could see that the hand had touched the object," Copeland says. "But sometimes I would go to pick it up and it would fall out."

A typical grasping task also took Copeland about 20 seconds to complete. "With sensory feedback he was able to complete it in 10," says Jennifer Collinger, an associate professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh.

Journal Reference:
Sharlene N. Flesher, John E. Downey, Jeffrey M. Weiss, et al. A brain-computer interface that evokes tactile sensations improves robotic arm control [$], Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.abd0380)

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Original Submission

• Patented, Dec 2002 (Score: 1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Saturday May 22 2021, @02:03PM

  by Runaway1956 (2926) on Saturday May 22 2021, @02:03PM (#1137739) Homepage Journal

  https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c5/d0/9d/787d2b0a5087a5/US6500210.pdf [googleapis.com]

  SYSTEMAND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A
  SENSE OF FEEL IN A PROSTHETIC OR
  SENSORY IMPARED LIMB
  This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
  08/281,491 filed on Jul. 27, 1994, now abandoned, which
  was a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/942,205 filed
  on Sep. 8, 1992, now abandoned.
  FIELD OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to devices for providing a
  person with a Sense of feel in a prosthetic or Sensory impaired limb.
  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention is directed to a method for provid ing Sensory perceptions in a Sensor System of a prosthetic
  device. The method comprises Sensing an external operation magnitude from a plurality of Sensor groups, each Sensor
  group Sensing a fraction of the external operation magni
  tude. A plurality of Sensory inputs from the Sensor groups is
  generated in response to the external operation. An electrical
  input signal with a magnitude also is generated. The elec
  trical input signal is controlled with the plurality of Sensory inputs to create a plurality of Sensory output Signals collec
  tively having a Stimulus with a collective Stimulus magni tude corresponding to the electrical input signal magnitude.
  Each Sensory output Signal has a fraction of the Stimulus
  magnitude corresponding to the fraction of the external
  operation magnitude Sensed by one of the Sensor groups.
  Each of the Sensory output signals is transmitted to a
  designated one of a plurality of contacts through a desig
  nated one of a plurality of channels.
  Still further, the present invention comprises a Sensory
  feedback system for use with a prosthetic device. The
  Sensory feedback System comprises a power Source that is
  adapted to transmit an electrical input Signal. Included are a
  plurality of Sensors each operable to create a Sensory inputs
  in response to an external operation thereon. Further, the
  Sensory feedback System comprises a plurality of contacts
  each adapted to receive a Sensory output signal. The Sensory
  feedback System includes a plurality of channels each con
  nected to one of the plurality of contacts and adapted to carry
  one of the Sensory output Signals to the contact to which it
  is connected. The Sensory feedback System also comprises a
  control and processing center adapted to receive the elec
  trical input signal from the power Source and to receive the
  Sensory inputs from the pressure Sensors, to control the
  electrical input Signal by applying the Sensory inputs to the
  electrical input signal to create the Sensory output signals,
  and to transmit the Sensory output signals to the contacts
  through the channels.

  To my untrained eye, this kinda looks like a patent troll patent.

  --
  Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		-1
  Troll=1, Total=1
  Extra 'Troll' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		1