Lightweight Multi-DoF Electric Shoulder Prosthesis

2022 – present

Overview

This project aims to reduce the wearing load of multi-DoF myoelectric shoulder prostheses by building a lightweight multi-material robotic arm. Since myoelectric signals are difficult to measure in people with shoulder disarticulation, motion of the remaining body parts is used as the control input to improve operability.

Technical Features

• Lightweight, high-output robotic arm using coupled tendon-driven mechanisms and a multi-material structure
• Headphone-type and sock-type devices measure shoulder and foot motion
• The prosthesis is operated by mapping remaining-body motion to hand motion

Specifications

• Weight: approx. 2.0 kg per arm
• Payload: approx. 1.5 kg
• Control: motion-mapping and semi-automatic control

Results

Integrated the simulation, control, and measurement systems of the prosthesis on ROS 2

Developed a LiDAR-mounted headphone device that measures shoulder motion

Developed a system that operates the prosthesis by combining shoulder and foot motion

Multi-DoF Myoelectric Shoulder Prosthesis

2020 – 2022

Overview

To support a wider range of activities of daily living than the simplified prosthesis, this project developed a lightweight, high-output robotic arm and intelligent control methods for a multi-DoF myoelectric shoulder prosthesis.

Technical Features

• Lightweight, high-output robotic arm using coupled tendon-driven mechanisms
• Wearable robotic arm with seven degrees of freedom, comparable to the human arm
• Vision-based reach-and-grasp motion toward target objects

Specifications

• Weight: approx. 2.6 kg per arm
• Payload: approx. 1.5 kg
• Control: learning control and semi-automatic control

Results

Developed a wearable, lightweight, high-output 7-DoF robotic arm

Developed a controller that detects target objects from camera images and performs automatic reach-and-grasp

Evaluated the performance of the prosthesis using SHAP

Journal Papers

• Wenyang Li, Peng Chen, Dianchun Bai, Xiaoxiao Zhu, Shunta Togo, Hiroshi Yokoi, Yinlai Jiang, "Modularization of 2- and 3-DoF coupled tendon-driven joints," IEEE Transactions on Robotics, Vol.37, No.3, pp.905-917, 2021. doi: 10.1109/TRO.2020.3038687

• Yinlai Jiang, Wenyang Li, Peng Chen, Shunta Togo, Hiroshi Yokoi, "Modularized coupled tendon-driven humanoid robot arm," Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan, Vol.38，No.7，pp.657–666，2020．doi: 10.7210/jrsj.38.657

International Conference Papers

• Yuko Nakamura, Yinlai Jiang, Hiroshi Yokoi and Shunta Togo, “Development of a 7 DOF electric shoulder disarticulation prosthesis using a return routing tendon driven mechanism,” 2022 IEEE 4th Global Conference on Life Science and Technologies (LifeTech2022), pp. 142–143, Osaka, Japan, 7-9 Mar. 2022. (Poster and Demo)IEEE LifeTech 2022 Excellent Paper Award for Demo Presentation

Simplified Myoelectric Shoulder Prosthesis

2016 – 2020

Overview

Myoelectric shoulder prostheses must control diverse arm movements with only a few control inputs. This project addressed the problem by reducing the arm to two degrees of freedom.

Technical Features

• Very lightweight thanks to the simplified mechanism
• A learning controller quickly maps myoelectric signals to prosthesis motion
• Supports hand opening/closing and raising/lowering of the arm

Specifications

• Weight: approx. 1.6 kg per arm
• Payload: approx. 500 g (short duration)
• Control: learning control and semi-automatic control

Results

Achieved grasping and transporting a ball attached to a wall via learning control

Built a semi-automatic controller that moves the hand to where the user is looking, using an MR device

Developed waterproof myoelectric sensors by covering electrodes and boards with silicone

Journal Papers

• Shunta Togo, Kazuaki Matsumoto, Susumu Kimizuka, Yinlai Jiang, Hiroshi Yokoi, "Semi-automated control system for reaching movements in EMG shoulder disarticulation prosthesis based on mixed reality device," IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology, Vol. 2, pp. 55–64, 2021. doi: 10.1109/OJEMB.2021.3058036 [2022IF 5.8]

• Susumu Kimizuka, Yohei Tanaka, Shunta Togo, Yinlai Jiang, Hiroshi Yokoi, "Development of a shoulder disarticulation prosthesis system intuitively controlled with the trunk surface electromyogram," Frontiers in Neurorobotics, Vol.14, No.542033, pp.1–10, 2020. doi: 10.3389/fnbot.2020.542033

• Susumu Kimizuka, Yutaro Hiyoshi, Hesong Ye, Youhei Tanaka, Shunta Togo, Yinlai Jiang, Hiroshi Yokoi, "Development of intuitive operation type shoulder disarticulation prosthesis system using surface myoelectric potential of trunk," Journal of the Society of Biomechanisms, Vol.43，No.4，pp.248–255，2019. doi: 10.3951/sobim.43.4_248

International Conference Papers

• Susumu Kimizuka, Yutaro Hiyoshi, Hesong Ye, Shunta Togo, Youhei Tanaka, Yinlai Jiang and Hiroshi Yokoi, “Development of an intuitive operation type shoulder prosthesis hand system using the surface myoelectric potential of trunk,” 2018 IEEE International Conference on Cyborg and Bionic Systems (CBS 2018), pp.597–602, Shenzhen China, 25–27 Oct. 2018.

• Kazuaki Matsumoto, Susumu Kimizuka, Shunta Togo, Yinlai Jiang and Hiroshi Yokoi, “Reduction of malfunction of myoelectric shoulder prosthesis by removing ECG noise,” 2018 IEEE International Conference on Cyborg and Bionic Systems (CBS 2018), pp.489–493, Shenzhen China, 25–27 Oct. 2018.