• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.193-199
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• 2014

In this paper, we present an overview of the structure of a lab-built powered knee prosthesis and the control of it. We build a powered prosthesis prototype on the basis of previous researches and aim at obtaining the essential technology related with its control. We adopt the slider-crank mechanism with a DC motor as an actuator to manipulate the knee joint. We also build an embedded control system for the prosthesis with a 32-bit DSP controller as a main computation unit. We divide the gait phase into five stages and use a FSM (Finite State Machine) to generate a torque reference needed for each stage. We also propose to use a position-based impedance controller for driving the powered knee prosthesis stably. We perform some walking experiments at fixed speeds on a tread mill in order to show the feature of the built powered prosthesis. The experimental results show that our prosthesis has the ability to provide a functional gait that is representative of normal gait biomechanics.

• 전자공학회논문지 IE
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.28-36
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• 2006

In this paper, an algorithm to classify the 4 motions of arm and a control system to position control the prosthesis are studied. To classify the 4 motions, we use flex sensors which is electrical resistance type sensor that can measure warp of muscle. The flex sensors are attached to the biceps brchii muscle and coracobrachialis muscle and the sensor signals are passed the sensing system. 4 motion of the forearm - flexion and extension, the pronation and supination are classified from this. Also position of forearm is measured from the classified signals. Finally, A two D.O.F prosthesis arm with RC servo-motor is designed to verify the validity of the algorithm. At this time, fuzzy controller is used to reduce the position error by rotary inertia and noise. From the experiment, the position error had occurred within about 5 degree.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.206-216
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• 2017

This paper proposes a method to simultaneously estimate two degrees of freedom in wrist forces (extension - flexion, adduction - abduction) and one degree of freedom in grasping forces using Electromyography (EMG) signals of the forearms. To correlate the EMG signals with the forces, we applied a multi - layer perceptron(MLP), which is a machine learning method, and used the characteristics of the muscles constituting the forearm to generate learning data. Through the experiments, the similarity between the MLP target value and the estimated value was investigated by applying the coefficient of determination ($R^2$) and root mean square error (RMSE) to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. As a result, the $R^2$ values with respect to the wrist flexion-extension, adduction - abduction and grasping forces were 0.79, 0.73 and 0.78 and RMSE were 0.12, 0.17, 0.13 respectively.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 2023

This study introduces a smart wrist band system with pressure measurements using wrist skin curvature variation due to finger motion. It is easy to wear and take off without pre-adaptation or surgery to use. By analyzing the depth variation of wrist skin curvature during each finger motion, we elaborated the most suitable location of each Force Sensitive Resistor (FSR) to be attached in the wristband with anatomical consideration. A 3D depth camera was used to investigate distinctive wrist locations, responsible for the anatomically de-coupled thumb, index, and middle finger, where the variations of wrist skin curvature appear independently. Then sensors within the wristband were attached correspondingly to measure the pressure change of those points and eventually the finger motion. The smart wrist band was validated for its practicality through two demonstrative applications, i.e., one for a real-time control of prosthetic robot hands and the other for natural human-computer interfacing. And hopefully other futuristic human-related applications would be benefited from the proposed smart wrist band system.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2024

This paper presents an under-actuated robotic hand inspired by the ligamentous structure of the human hand for a prosthetic application. The joint mechanisms are based on the concept of a tensegrity structure formed by elastic strings. These rigid bodies and elastic strings in the mechanism emulate the phalanx bones and primary ligaments found in human finger joints. As a result, the proposed hand inherently possesses compliant characteristics, ensuring robust adaptability during grasping and when interacting with physical environments. For the practical implementation of the tensegrity-based joint mechanism, we detail the installation of the strings and the routing of the driving tendon, which are related to extension and flexion, respectively. Additionally, we have designed the palm structure of the proposed hand to facilitate opposition and tripod grips between the fingers and thumb, taking into account the transverse arch of the human palm. In conclusion, we tested a prototype of the proposed hand to evaluate its motion and grasping capabilities.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2024

Lower limb amputees are increasing due to various reasons. It is difficult for lower limb amputees to walk without an assistive device such as a prosthetic leg. In this paper, an electronically controlled knee-type prosthetic leg with a 4-bar linkage structure for lower limb amputees was developed. The knee-type prosthetic leg has a 4-bar linkage structure and assists walking by using an integrated drive module. The torque is 90 Nm, the rotation speed is up to 120 deg, and it weight 1.9 kg, so it is lighter than a commercial prosthetic leg, so it can be used for a long time because there is less fatigue when walking. An integrated control board was developed by applying various sensors and microprocessor. The motor drive and encoder are built into the integrated drive module. The integrated control board and integrated drive module communicate using CAN. When a lower limb amputee wears a knee-type prosthetic leg and walks, it shows a shape similar to the swing phase graph of a normal people, and it is possible to walk naturally while walking.