1
|
Navalesi P, Oddo CM, Chisci G, Frosolini A, Gennaro P, Abbate V, Prattichizzo D, Gabriele G. The Use of Tactile Sensors in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: An Overview. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:765. [PMID: 37508792 PMCID: PMC10376110 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10070765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This overview aimed to characterize the type, development, and use of haptic technologies for maxillofacial surgical purposes. The work aim is to summarize and evaluate current advantages, drawbacks, and design choices of presented technologies for each field of application in order to address and promote future research as well as to provide a global view of the issue. METHODS Relevant manuscripts were searched electronically through Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases until 1 November 2022. RESULTS After analyzing the available literature, 31 articles regarding tactile sensors and interfaces, sensorized tools, haptic technologies, and integrated platforms in oral and maxillofacial surgery have been included. Moreover, a quality rating is provided for each article following appropriate evaluation metrics. DISCUSSION Many efforts have been made to overcome the technological limits of computed assistant diagnosis, surgery, and teaching. Nonetheless, a research gap is evident between dental/maxillofacial surgery and other specialties such as endovascular, laparoscopic, and microsurgery; especially for what concerns electrical and optical-based sensors for instrumented tools and sensorized tools for contact forces detection. The application of existing technologies is mainly focused on digital simulation purposes, and the integration into Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS) is far from being widely actuated. Virtual reality, increasingly adopted in various fields of surgery (e.g., sino-nasal, traumatology, implantology) showed interesting results and has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning. A major concern regarding the actual state of the art is the absence of randomized control trials and the prevalence of case reports, retrospective cohorts, and experimental studies. Nonetheless, as the research is fast growing, we can expect to see many developments be incorporated into maxillofacial surgery practice, after adequate evaluation by the scientific community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Navalesi
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Information Engineering, Università di Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- Department of Information Engineering, Università di Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & A.I., Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Science, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Glauco Chisci
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies, School of Oral Surgery, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Andrea Frosolini
- Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Paolo Gennaro
- Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Abbate
- Head and Neck Section, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Science, Federico II University of Naples, 80013 Naples, Italy
| | - Domenico Prattichizzo
- Department of Information Engineering and Mathematics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Guido Gabriele
- Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chiappalone M, Pedrocchi A, Micera S, Stieglitz T, Oddo CM, De Michieli L, Massa L. Editorial: Neurotechnologies in translation: technological challenges and entrepreneurship opportunities. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1195756. [PMID: 37292162 PMCID: PMC10244762 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1195756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michela Chiappalone
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS), University of Genova, Genova, Italy
- Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Silvestro Micera
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
- Translational Neural Engineering Laboratory, Center for Neuroprosthetics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Stieglitz
- Department of Microsystems Engineering Biomedical Microtechnology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Lorenzo Massa
- Strategy Organization and Management Group (SOM), Aalborg University Business School, Aalborg, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Prasanna S, D'Abbraccio J, Filosa M, Ferraro D, Cesini I, Spigler G, Aliperta A, Dell'Agnello F, Davalli A, Gruppioni E, Crea S, Vitiello N, Mazzoni A, Oddo CM. Uneven Terrain Recognition Using Neuromorphic Haptic Feedback. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:s23094521. [PMID: 37177725 PMCID: PMC10181691 DOI: 10.3390/s23094521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed relevant advancements in the quality of life of persons with lower limb amputations thanks to the technological developments in prosthetics. However, prostheses that provide information about the foot-ground interaction, and in particular about terrain irregularities, are still missing on the market. The lack of tactile feedback from the foot sole might lead subjects to step on uneven terrains, causing an increase in the risk of falling. To address this issue, a biomimetic vibrotactile feedback system that conveys information about gait and terrain features sensed by a dedicated insole has been assessed with intact subjects. After having shortly experienced both even and uneven terrains, the recruited subjects discriminated them with an accuracy of 87.5%, solely relying on the replay of the vibrotactile feedback. With the objective of exploring the human decoding mechanism of the feedback startegy, a KNN classifier was trained to recognize the uneven terrains. The outcome suggested that the subjects achieved such performance with a temporal dynamics of 45 ms. This work is a leap forward to assist lower-limb amputees to appreciate the floor conditions while walking, adapt their gait and promote a more confident use of their artificial limb.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sahana Prasanna
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Jessica D'Abbraccio
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Mariangela Filosa
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Science, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide Ferraro
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilaria Cesini
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giacomo Spigler
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Aliperta
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Dell'Agnello
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Angelo Davalli
- Centro Protesi INAIL (Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work), 40054 Budrio, Italy
| | - Emanuele Gruppioni
- Centro Protesi INAIL (Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work), 40054 Budrio, Italy
| | - Simona Crea
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Science, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 50143 Florence, Italy
| | - Nicola Vitiello
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Science, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 50143 Florence, Italy
| | - Alberto Mazzoni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Science, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ballanti S, Campagnini S, Liuzzi P, Hakiki B, Scarpino M, Macchi C, Oddo CM, Carrozza MC, Grippo A, Mannini A. EEG-based methods for recovery prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness: A systematic review. Clin Neurophysiol 2022; 144:98-114. [PMID: 36335795 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Disorders of consciousness (DoC) are acquired conditions of severely altered consciousness. Electroencephalography (EEG)-derived biomarkers have been studied as clinical predictors of consciousness recovery. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review the methods, features, and models used to derive prognostic EEG markers in patients with DoC in a rehabilitation setting. METHODS We conducted a systematic literature search of EEG-based strategies for consciousness recovery prognosis in five electronic databases. RESULTS The search resulted in 2964 papers. After screening, 15 studies were included in the review. Our analyses revealed that simpler experimental settings and similar filtering cut-off frequencies are preferred. The results of studies were categorised by extracting qualitative and quantitative features. The quantitative features were further classified into evoked/event-related potentials, spectral measures, entropy measures, and graph-theory measures. Despite the variety of methods, features from all categories, including qualitative ones, exhibited significant correlations with DoC prognosis. Moreover, no agreement was found on the optimal set of EEG-based features for the multivariate prognosis of patients with DoC, which limits the computational methods applied for outcome prediction and correlation analysis to classical ones. Nevertheless, alpha power, reactivity, and higher complexity metrics were often found to be predictive of consciousness recovery. CONCLUSIONS This study's findings confirm the essential role of qualitative EEG and suggest an important role for quantitative EEG. Their joint use could compensate for their reciprocal limitations. SIGNIFICANCE This study emphasises the need for further efforts toward guidelines on standardised EEG analysis pipeline, given the already proven role of EEG markers in the recovery prognosis of patients with DoC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ballanti
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Firenze 50143, Italy; The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera 56025, Pisa, Italy; Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56127, Italy.
| | - Silvia Campagnini
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Firenze 50143, Italy; The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera 56025, Pisa, Italy; Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56127, Italy.
| | - Piergiuseppe Liuzzi
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Firenze 50143, Italy; The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera 56025, Pisa, Italy; Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56127, Italy.
| | - Bahia Hakiki
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Firenze 50143, Italy.
| | | | - Claudio Macchi
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Firenze 50143, Italy; Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Firenze 50143, Italy.
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera 56025, Pisa, Italy; Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56127, Italy.
| | - Maria Chiara Carrozza
- The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera 56025, Pisa, Italy; Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56127, Italy.
| | | | - Andrea Mannini
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Firenze 50143, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Oddo CM. Selective stimulation with intraneural electrodes for bionic limb prostheses can contribute to shed light on human touch sensorimotor integration. J Physiol 2022; 600:1279-1280. [PMID: 35045193 PMCID: PMC9303773 DOI: 10.1113/jp282734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Camboni D, Massari L, Chiurazzi M, Calio R, Alcaide JO, D'Abbraccio J, Mazomenos E, Stoyanov D, Menciassi A, Carrozza MC, Dario P, Oddo CM, Ciuti G. Endoscopic Tactile Capsule for Non-Polypoid Colorectal Tumour Detection. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021. [DOI: 10.1109/tmrb.2020.3037255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
|
7
|
Cesini I, Kowalczyk M, Lucantonio A, D’Alesio G, Kumar P, Camboni D, Massari L, Pingue P, De Simone A, Fraleoni Morgera A, Oddo CM. Seedless Hydrothermal Growth of ZnO Nanorods as a Promising Route for Flexible Tactile Sensors. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2020; 10:nano10050977. [PMID: 32438635 PMCID: PMC7279543 DOI: 10.3390/nano10050977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods has been widely used for the development of tactile sensors, with the aid of ZnO seed layers, favoring the growth of dense and vertically aligned nanorods. However, seed layers represent an additional fabrication step in the sensor design. In this study, a seedless hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods was carried out on Au-coated Si and polyimide substrates. The effects of both the Au morphology and the growth temperature on the characteristics of the nanorods were investigated, finding that smaller Au grains produced tilted rods, while larger grains provided vertical rods. Highly dense and high-aspect-ratio nanorods with hexagonal prismatic shape were obtained at 75 °C and 85 °C, while pyramid-like rods were grown when the temperature was set to 95 °C. Finite-element simulations demonstrated that prismatic rods produce higher voltage responses than the pyramid-shaped ones. A tactile sensor, with an active area of 1 cm2, was fabricated on flexible polyimide substrate and embedding the nanorods forest in a polydimethylsiloxane matrix as a separation layer between the bottom and the top Au electrodes. The prototype showed clear responses upon applied loads of 2-4 N and vibrations over frequencies in the range of 20-800 Hz.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Cesini
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy; (A.L.); (G.D.A.); (D.C.); (L.M.); (A.D.S)
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: (I.C.); (C.M.O.); Tel.: +39-050-883067 (C.M.O.)
| | - Magdalena Kowalczyk
- Institute of Automation and Robotics, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland;
| | - Alessandro Lucantonio
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy; (A.L.); (G.D.A.); (D.C.); (L.M.); (A.D.S)
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giacomo D’Alesio
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy; (A.L.); (G.D.A.); (D.C.); (L.M.); (A.D.S)
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Pramod Kumar
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India;
| | - Domenico Camboni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy; (A.L.); (G.D.A.); (D.C.); (L.M.); (A.D.S)
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Massari
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy; (A.L.); (G.D.A.); (D.C.); (L.M.); (A.D.S)
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Pasqualantonio Pingue
- NEST Laboratory, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Antonio De Simone
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy; (A.L.); (G.D.A.); (D.C.); (L.M.); (A.D.S)
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Fraleoni Morgera
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy;
- Department of Engineering and Geology, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Pescara, Italy
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Italy; (A.L.); (G.D.A.); (D.C.); (L.M.); (A.D.S)
- Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: (I.C.); (C.M.O.); Tel.: +39-050-883067 (C.M.O.)
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cesini I, Martini E, Filosa M, Spigler G, Sabatini AM, Vitiello N, Oddo CM, Crea S. Perception of Time-Discrete Haptic Feedback on the Waist is Invariant With Gait Events. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2020; 28:1595-1604. [PMID: 32340952 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2020.2984913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The effectiveness of haptic feedback devices highly depends on the perception of tactile stimuli, which differs across body parts and can be affected by movement. In this study, a novel wearable sensory feedback apparatus made of a pair of pressure-sensitive insoles and a belt equipped with vibrotactile units is presented; the device provides time-discrete vibrations around the waist, synchronized with biomechanically-relevant gait events during walking. Experiments with fifteen healthy volunteers were carried out to investigate users' tactile perception on the waist. Stimuli of different intensities were provided at twelve locations, each time synchronously with one pre-defined gait event (i.e. heel strike, flat foot or toe off), following a pseudo-random stimulation sequence. Reaction time, detection rate and localization accuracy were analyzed as functions of the stimulation level and site and the effect of gait events on perception was investigated. Results revealed that above-threshold stimuli (i.e. vibrations characterized by acceleration amplitudes of 1.92g and 2.13g and frequencies of 100 Hz and 150 Hz, respectively) can be effectively perceived in all the sites and successfully localized when the intertactor spacing is set to 10 cm. Moreover, it was found that perception of time-discrete vibrations was not affected by phase-related gating mechanisms, suggesting that the waist could be considered as a preferred body region for delivering haptic feedback during walking.
Collapse
|
9
|
Bulletti A, Mazzoni M, Prasanna S, Massari L, Menciassi A, Oddo CM, Capineri L. An Improved Strategy for Detection and Localization of Nodules in Liver Tissues by a 16 MHz Needle Ultrasonic Probe Mounted on a Robotic Platform. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:E1183. [PMID: 32098102 PMCID: PMC7070588 DOI: 10.3390/s20041183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
This study presents an improved strategy for the detection and localization of small size nodules (down to few mm) of agar in excised pork liver tissues via pulse-echo ultrasound measurements performed with a 16 MHz needle probe. This work contributes to the development of a new generation of medical instruments to support robotic surgery decision processes that need information about cancerous tissues in a short time (minutes). The developed ultrasonic probe is part of a scanning platform designed for the automation of surgery-associated histological analyses. It was coupled with a force sensor to control the indentation of tissue samples placed on a steel plate. For the detection of nodules, we took advantage of the property of nodules of altering not only the acoustical properties of tissues producing ultrasound attenuation, but also of developing patterns at their boundary that can modify the shape and the amplitude of the received echo signals from the steel plate supporting the tissues. Besides the Correlation Index Amplitude (CIA), which is linked to the overall amplitude changes of the ultrasonic signals, we introduced the Correlation Index Shape (CIS) linked to their shape changes. Furthermore, we applied AND-OR logical operators to these correlation indices. The results were found particularly helpful in the localization of the irregular masses of agar we inserted into some excised liver tissues, and in the individuation of the regions of major interest over which perform the vertical dissections of tissues in an automated analysis finalized to histopathology. We correctly identified up to 89% of inclusions, with an improvement of about 14% with respect to the result obtained (78%) from the analysis performed with the CIA parameter only.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bulletti
- Department of Information Engineering, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Marina Mazzoni
- Department of Information Engineering, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.B.); (M.M.)
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche of Italy, Istituto di Fisica Applicata “Nello Carrara”, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Sahana Prasanna
- Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy; (S.P.); (L.M.); (A.M.); (C.M.O.)
| | - Luca Massari
- Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy; (S.P.); (L.M.); (A.M.); (C.M.O.)
| | - Arianna Menciassi
- Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy; (S.P.); (L.M.); (A.M.); (C.M.O.)
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, The BioRobotics Institute, 56025 Pisa, Italy; (S.P.); (L.M.); (A.M.); (C.M.O.)
| | - Lorenzo Capineri
- Department of Information Engineering, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 50139 Florence, Italy; (A.B.); (M.M.)
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Shi G, Palombi A, Lim Z, Astolfi A, Burani A, Campagnini S, Loizzo FGC, Preti ML, Vargas AM, Peperoni E, Oddo CM, Li M, Hardwicke J, Venus M, Homer-Vanniasinkam S, Wurdemann HA. Fluidic Haptic Interface for Mechano-Tactile Feedback. IEEE Trans Haptics 2020; 13:204-210. [PMID: 32012023 DOI: 10.1109/toh.2020.2970056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Notable advancements have been achieved in providing amputees with sensation through invasive and non-invasive haptic feedback systems such as mechano-, vibro-, electro-tactile and hybrid systems. Purely mechanical-driven feedback approaches, however, have been little explored. In this paper, we now created a haptic feedback system that does not require any external power source (such as batteries) or other electronic components (see Fig. 1 ). The system is low-cost, lightweight, adaptable and robust against external impact (such as water). Hence, it will be sustainable in many aspects. We have made use of latest multi-material 3D printing technology (Stratasys Objet500 Connex3) being able to fabricate a soft sensor and a mechano-tactile feedback actuator made of a rubber (TangoBlack Plus) and plastic (VeroClear) material. When forces are applied to the fingertip sensor, fluidic pressure inside the system acts on the membrane of the feedback actuator resulting in mechano-tactile sensation. Our [Formula: see text] feedback actuator is able to transmit a force range between 0.2 N (the median touch threshold) and 2.1 N (the maximum force transmitted by the feedback actuator at a 3 mm indentation) corresponding to force range exerted to the fingertip sensor of 1.2-18.49 N.
Collapse
|
11
|
Massari L, Schena E, Massaroni C, Saccomandi P, Menciassi A, Sinibaldi E, Oddo CM. A Machine-Learning-Based Approach to Solve Both Contact Location and Force in Soft Material Tactile Sensors. Soft Robot 2019; 7:409-420. [PMID: 31880499 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2018.0172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This study addresses a design and calibration methodology based on numerical finite element method (FEM) modeling for the development of a soft tactile sensor able to simultaneously solve the magnitude and the application location of a normal load exerted onto its surface. The sensor entails the integration of a Bragg grating fiber optic sensor in a Dragon Skin 10 polymer brick (110 mm length, 24 mm width). The soft polymer mediates the transmission of the applied load to the buried fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), and we also investigated the effect of sensor thickness on receptive field and sensitivity, both with the developed model and experimentally. Force-controlled indentations of the sensor (up to 2.5 N) were carried out through a cylindrical probe applied along the direction of the optical fiber (over an ∼90 mm span in length). A finite element model of the sensor was built and experimentally validated for 1 and 6 mm thicknesses of the soft polymeric encapsulation material, considering that the latter thickness resulted from numerical simulations as leading to optimal cross talk and sensitivity, given the chosen soft material. The FEM model was also used to train a neural network so as to obtain the inverse sensor function. Using four FBG transducers embedded in the 6-mm-thick soft polymer, the proposed machine learning approach managed to accurately detect both load magnitude (R = 0.97) and location (R = 0.99) over the whole experimental range. The proposed system could be used for developing tactile sensors that can be effectively used for a broad range of applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Massari
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Ca' Bembo, Venezia, Italy
| | - Emiliano Schena
- Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Center for Integrated Research, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Carlo Massaroni
- Research Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Center for Integrated Research, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Paola Saccomandi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Arianna Menciassi
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Edoardo Sinibaldi
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Jovanović K, Petrič T, Tsuji T, Oddo CM. Editorial: Human-Like Advances in Robotics: Motion, Actuation, Sensing, Cognition and Control. Front Neurorobot 2019; 13:85. [PMID: 31680926 PMCID: PMC6805770 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2019.00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kosta Jovanović
- School of Electrical Engineering (ETF), University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tadej Petrič
- Department for Automation, Biocybernetics, and Robotics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Toshiaki Tsuji
- Tsuji Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Electronic Systems, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Rongala UB, Mazzoni A, Chiurazzi M, Camboni D, Milazzo M, Massari L, Ciuti G, Roccella S, Dario P, Oddo CM. Tactile Decoding of Edge Orientation With Artificial Cuneate Neurons in Dynamic Conditions. Front Neurorobot 2019; 13:44. [PMID: 31312132 PMCID: PMC6614200 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2019.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Generalization ability in tactile sensing for robotic manipulation is a prerequisite to effectively perform tasks in ever-changing environments. In particular, performing dynamic tactile perception is currently beyond the ability of robotic devices. A biomimetic approach to achieve this dexterity is to develop machines combining compliant robotic manipulators with neuroinspired architectures displaying computational adaptation. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for dynamic touch tasks experimented by integrating our sensing apparatus in a 6 degrees of freedom robotic arm via a soft wrist. We embodied in the system a model of spike-based neuromorphic encoding of tactile stimuli, emulating the discrimination properties of cuneate nucleus neurons based on pathways with differential delay lines. These strategies allowed the system to correctly perform a dynamic touch protocol of edge orientation recognition (ridges from 0 to 40°, with a step of 5°). Crucially, the task was robust to contact noise and was performed with high performance irrespectively of sensing conditions (sensing forces and velocities). These results are a step forward toward the development of robotic arms able to physically interact in real-world environments with tactile sensing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Udaya Bhaskar Rongala
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
| | - Alberto Mazzoni
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Domenico Camboni
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mario Milazzo
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | - Luca Massari
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy
| | - Gastone Ciuti
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefano Roccella
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Dario
- Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Gunasekaran H, Spigler G, Mazzoni A, Cataldo E, Oddo CM. Convergence of regular spiking and intrinsically bursting Izhikevich neuron models as a function of discretization time with Euler method. Neurocomputing 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neucom.2019.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
15
|
Enander JMD, Spanne A, Mazzoni A, Bengtsson F, Oddo CM, Jörntell H. Ubiquitous Neocortical Decoding of Tactile Input Patterns. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:140. [PMID: 31031596 PMCID: PMC6474209 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Whereas functional localization historically has been a key concept in neuroscience, direct neuronal recordings show that input of a particular modality can be recorded well outside its primary receiving areas in the neocortex. Here, we wanted to explore if such spatially unbounded inputs potentially contain any information about the quality of the input received. We utilized a recently introduced approach to study the neuronal decoding capacity at a high resolution by delivering a set of electrical, highly reproducible spatiotemporal tactile afferent activation patterns to the skin of the contralateral second digit of the forepaw of the anesthetized rat. Surprisingly, we found that neurons in all areas recorded from, across all cortical depths tested, could decode the tactile input patterns, including neurons of the primary visual cortex. Within both somatosensory and visual cortical areas, the combined decoding accuracy of a population of neurons was higher than for the best performing single neuron within the respective area. Such cooperative decoding indicates that not only did individual neurons decode the input, they also did so by generating responses with different temporal profiles compared to other neurons, which suggests that each neuron could have unique contributions to the tactile information processing. These findings suggest that tactile processing in principle could be globally distributed in the neocortex, possibly for comparison with internal expectations and disambiguation processes relying on other modalities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonas M D Enander
- Neural Basis of Sensorimotor Control, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anton Spanne
- Neural Basis of Sensorimotor Control, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Alberto Mazzoni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Fredrik Bengtsson
- Neural Basis of Sensorimotor Control, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Henrik Jörntell
- Neural Basis of Sensorimotor Control, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Bianchi F, Ciuti G, Koulaouzidis A, Arezzo A, Stoyanov D, Schostek S, Oddo CM, Menciassi A, Dario P. An innovative robotic platform for magnetically-driven painless colonoscopy. Ann Transl Med 2017; 5:421. [PMID: 29201873 DOI: 10.21037/atm.2017.09.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents a significant medical threat with a dramatic impact on the healthcare system with around 1.3 million patients worldwide, causing more than 700 thousand deaths annually. A key-aspect to successful and cost-effective disease management is represented by the early detection of CRC at asymptomatic stage. For this reason, population screening is highly recommended for patients older than 50 years or at high risk for familiarity. Currently, the standard endoscopic techniques do not meet this need. In recent years, innovative endoscopic robotic techniques and active locomotion devices have been developed as alternatives to conventional colonoscopy. The magnetically-driven robotic platform, presented by the authors, is conceived to perform less invasive and more comfortable colonoscopy with the aim to promote screening campaigns for detection of early colorectal neoplasm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federico Bianchi
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gastone Ciuti
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Alberto Arezzo
- Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Danail Stoyanov
- Centre for Medical Image Computing and the Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Paolo Dario
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Sorgini
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy
| | - Renato Caliò
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pontedera, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Genna C, Artoni F, Fanciullacci C, Chisari C, Oddo CM, Micera S. Long-latency components of somatosensory evoked potentials during passive tactile perception of gratings. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2017; 2016:1648-1651. [PMID: 28268646 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2016.7591030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Perception of tactile stimuli elicits Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SEPs) that can be recorded via non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG). However, it is not yet clear how SEPs localization, shape and latency are modulated by different stimuli during mechanical tactile stimulation of fingertips. The aim of this work is thus to characterize SEPs generated by the tactile perception of gratings during dynamic passive stimulation of the dominant fingertip by means of a mechatronic platform. Results show that a random sequence of stimuli elicited SEPs with two long-latency components: (i) a negative deflection around 140 ms located in the frontal-central-parietal side in the contralateral hemisphere; (ii) a positive deflection around 250 ms located in the frontal-central midline. Time-frequency analysis revealed significant continuous bilateral desynchronization in the alpha band throughout the passive stimulation. These results are a fundamental step towards building a model of brain responses during perception of tactile stimuli for future benchmarking studies.
Collapse
|
19
|
Rongala UB, Mazzoni A, Oddo CM. Neuromorphic Artificial Touch for Categorization of Naturalistic Textures. IEEE Trans Neural Netw Learn Syst 2017; 28:819-829. [PMID: 26372658 DOI: 10.1109/tnnls.2015.2472477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We implemented neuromorphic artificial touch and emulated the firing behavior of mechanoreceptors by injecting the raw outputs of a biomimetic tactile sensor into an Izhikevich neuronal model. Naturalistic textures were evaluated with a passive touch protocol. The resulting neuromorphic spike trains were able to classify ten naturalistic textures ranging from textiles to glass to BioSkin, with accuracy as high as 97%. Remarkably, rather than on firing rate features calculated over the stimulation window, the highest achieved decoding performance was based on the precise spike timing of the neuromorphic output as captured by Victor Purpura distance. We also systematically varied the sliding velocity and the contact force to investigate the role of sensing conditions in categorizing the stimuli via the artificial sensory system. We found that the decoding performance based on the timing of neuromorphic spike events was robust for a broad range of sensing conditions. Being able to categorize naturalistic textures in different sensing conditions, these neurorobotic results pave the way to the use of neuromorphic tactile sensors in future real-life neuroprosthetic applications.
Collapse
|
20
|
Ciuti G, Caliò R, Camboni D, Neri L, Bianchi F, Arezzo A, Koulaouzidis A, Schostek S, Stoyanov D, Oddo CM, Magnani B, Menciassi A, Morino M, Schurr MO, Dario P. Frontiers of robotic endoscopic capsules: a review. J Microbio Robot 2016; 11:1-18. [PMID: 29082124 PMCID: PMC5646258 DOI: 10.1007/s12213-016-0087-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Digestive diseases are a major burden for society and healthcare systems, and with an aging population, the importance of their effective management will become critical. Healthcare systems worldwide already struggle to insure quality and affordability of healthcare delivery and this will be a significant challenge in the midterm future. Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE), introduced in 2000 by Given Imaging Ltd., is an example of disruptive technology and represents an attractive alternative to traditional diagnostic techniques. WCE overcomes conventional endoscopy enabling inspection of the digestive system without discomfort or the need for sedation. Thus, it has the advantage of encouraging patients to undergo gastrointestinal (GI) tract examinations and of facilitating mass screening programmes. With the integration of further capabilities based on microrobotics, e.g. active locomotion and embedded therapeutic modules, WCE could become the key-technology for GI diagnosis and treatment. This review presents a research update on WCE and describes the state-of-the-art of current endoscopic devices with a focus on research-oriented robotic capsule endoscopes enabled by microsystem technologies. The article also presents a visionary perspective on WCE potential for screening, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gastone Ciuti
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy
| | - R Caliò
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy
| | - D Camboni
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy
| | - L Neri
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy.,Ekymed S.r.l., Livorno, Italy
| | - F Bianchi
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy
| | - A Arezzo
- Department of Surgical Disciplines, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - A Koulaouzidis
- Endoscopy Unit, The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | | | - D Stoyanov
- Centre for Medical Image Computing and the Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - C M Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy
| | | | - A Menciassi
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy
| | - M Morino
- Department of Surgical Disciplines, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - M O Schurr
- Ovesco Endoscopy AG, Tübingen, Germany.,Steinbeis University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - P Dario
- The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa 56025 Italy
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Oddo CM, Raspopovic S, Artoni F, Mazzoni A, Spigler G, Petrini F, Giambattistelli F, Vecchio F, Miraglia F, Zollo L, Di Pino G, Camboni D, Carrozza MC, Guglielmelli E, Rossini PM, Faraguna U, Micera S. Intraneural stimulation elicits discrimination of textural features by artificial fingertip in intact and amputee humans. eLife 2016; 5:e09148. [PMID: 26952132 PMCID: PMC4798967 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Restoration of touch after hand amputation is a desirable feature of ideal prostheses. Here, we show that texture discrimination can be artificially provided in human subjects by implementing a neuromorphic real-time mechano-neuro-transduction (MNT), which emulates to some extent the firing dynamics of SA1 cutaneous afferents. The MNT process was used to modulate the temporal pattern of electrical spikes delivered to the human median nerve via percutaneous microstimulation in four intact subjects and via implanted intrafascicular stimulation in one transradial amputee. Both approaches allowed the subjects to reliably discriminate spatial coarseness of surfaces as confirmed also by a hybrid neural model of the median nerve. Moreover, MNT-evoked EEG activity showed physiologically plausible responses that were superimposable in time and topography to the ones elicited by a natural mechanical tactile stimulation. These findings can open up novel opportunities for sensory restoration in the next generation of neuro-prosthetic hands. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09148.001 Our hands provide us with a wide variety of information about our surroundings, enabling us to detect pain, temperature and pressure. Our sense of touch also allows us to interact with objects by feeling their texture and solidity. However, completely reproducing a sense of touch in artificial or prosthetic hands has proven challenging. While commercial prostheses can mimic the range of movements of natural limbs, even the latest experimental prostheses have only a limited ability to ‘feel’ the objects being manipulated. Oddo, Raspopovic et al. have now brought this ability a step closer by exploiting an artificial fingertip and appropriate neural interfaces through which different textures can be identified. The initial experiments were performed in four healthy volunteers with intact limbs. Oddo, Raspopovic et al. connected the artificial fingertip to the volunteers via an electrode inserted into a nerve in the arm. When moved over a rough surface, sensors in the fingertip produced patterns of electrical pulses that stimulated the nerve, causing the volunteers to feel like they were touching the surface. The volunteers were even able to tell the difference between the different surface textures the artificial fingertip moved across. The temporary electrodes used in this group of volunteers are unsuitable for use with prosthetic limbs because they can easily be knocked out of position. Therefore, in a further experiment involving a volunteer who had undergone an arm amputation a number of years previously, Oddo, Raspopovic et al. tested an implanted electrode array that could, in principle, remain in place long-term. This volunteer could also identify the different textures the artificial fingertip touched, with a slightly higher degree of accuracy than the previous group of intact volunteers. Further studies are now required to explore the potential of this approach in larger groups of volunteers. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09148.002
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Stanisa Raspopovic
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fiorenzo Artoni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alberto Mazzoni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giacomo Spigler
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Petrini
- Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics & Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy.,Brain Connectivity Laboratory, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Fabrizio Vecchio
- Brain Connectivity Laboratory, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Loredana Zollo
- Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics & Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Pino
- Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics & Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy.,Institute of Neurology, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Domenico Camboni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Eugenio Guglielmelli
- Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics & Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Paolo Maria Rossini
- Brain Connectivity Laboratory, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Roma, Italy.,Institute of Neurology, Catholic University of The Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy
| | - Ugo Faraguna
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.,IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy.,Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Silvestro Micera
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Abstract
The present review focuses on the flow and interaction of somatosensory-motor signals in the central and peripheral nervous system. Specifically, where incoming sensory signals from the periphery are processed and interpreted to initiate behaviors, and how ongoing behaviors produce sensory consequences encoded and used to fine-tune subsequent actions. We describe the structure–function relations of this loop, how these relations can be modeled and aspects of somatosensory-motor rehabilitation. The work reviewed here shows that it is imperative to understand the fundamental mechanisms of the somatosensory-motor system to restore accurate motor abilities and appropriate somatosensory feedback. Knowledge of the salient neural mechanisms of sensory-motor integration has begun to generate innovative approaches to improve rehabilitation training following neurological impairments such as stroke. The present work supports the integration of basic science principles of sensory-motor integration into rehabilitation procedures to create new solutions for sensory-motor disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rochelle Ackerley
- Department of Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
- Laboratoire Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives (UMR 7260), CNRS — Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Michael Borich
- Neural Plasticity Research Laboratory, Division of Physical Therapy, Dept of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Silvio Ionta
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology, Dept of Radiology and Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Rehabilitation Engineering Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Russo LO, Farulla GA, Pianu D, Salgarella AR, Controzzi M, Cipriani C, Oddo CM, Geraci C, Rosa S, Indaco M. PARLOMA – A Novel Human-Robot Interaction System for Deaf-Blind Remote Communication. INT J ADV ROBOT SYST 2015. [DOI: 10.5772/60416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Deaf-blindness forces people to live in isolation. At present, there is no existing technological solution enabling two (or many) deaf-blind people to communicate remotely among themselves in tactile Sign Language (t-SL). When resorting to t-SL, deaf-blind people can communicate only with people physically present in the same place, because they are required to reciprocally explore their hands to exchange messages. We present a preliminary version of PARLOMA, a novel system to enable remote communication between deaf-blind persons. It is composed of a low-cost depth sensor as the only input device, paired with a robotic hand as the output device. Essentially, any user can perform hand-shapes in front of the depth sensor. The system is able to recognize a set of hand-shapes that are sent over the web and reproduced by an anthropomorphic robotic hand. PARLOMA can work as a “telephone” for deaf-blind people. Hence, it will dramatically improve the quality of life of deaf-blind persons. PARLOMA has been presented and supported by the main Italian deaf-blind association, Lega del Filo d'Oro. End users are involved in the design phase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Daniele Pianu
- Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering, National Research Council, Italy
| | | | - Marco Controzzi
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Stefano Rosa
- Politecnico di Torino, Department of Control and Computer Engineering, Italy
| | - Marco Indaco
- Politecnico di Torino, Department of Control and Computer Engineering, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Saccomandi P, Schena E, Oddo CM, Zollo L, Silvestri S, Guglielmelli E. Microfabricated tactile sensors for biomedical applications: a review. Biosensors (Basel) 2014; 4:422-48. [PMID: 25587432 PMCID: PMC4287711 DOI: 10.3390/bios4040422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Revised: 10/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
During the last decades, tactile sensors based on different sensing principles have been developed due to the growing interest in robotics and, mainly, in medical applications. Several technological solutions have been employed to design tactile sensors; in particular, solutions based on microfabrication present several attractive features. Microfabrication technologies allow for developing miniaturized sensors with good performance in terms of metrological properties (e.g., accuracy, sensitivity, low power consumption, and frequency response). Small size and good metrological properties heighten the potential role of tactile sensors in medicine, making them especially attractive to be integrated in smart interfaces and microsurgical tools. This paper provides an overview of microfabricated tactile sensors, focusing on the mean principles of sensing, i.e., piezoresistive, piezoelectric and capacitive sensors. These sensors are employed for measuring contact properties, in particular force and pressure, in three main medical fields, i.e., prosthetics and artificial skin, minimal access surgery and smart interfaces for biomechanical analysis. The working principles and the metrological properties of the most promising tactile, microfabricated sensors are analyzed, together with their application in medicine. Finally, the new emerging technologies in these fields are briefly described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Saccomandi
- Center for Integrated Research, Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, Italy; E-Mails: (P.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Emiliano Schena
- Center for Integrated Research, Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, Italy; E-Mails: (P.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera (PI) 56025, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Loredana Zollo
- Center for Integrated Research, Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, Italy; E-Mails: (L.Z.); (E.G.)
| | - Sergio Silvestri
- Center for Integrated Research, Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, Italy; E-Mails: (P.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Eugenio Guglielmelli
- Center for Integrated Research, Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, Italy; E-Mails: (L.Z.); (E.G.)
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Raspopovic S, Capogrosso M, Petrini FM, Bonizzato M, Rigosa J, Di Pino G, Carpaneto J, Controzzi M, Boretius T, Fernandez E, Granata G, Oddo CM, Citi L, Ciancio AL, Cipriani C, Carrozza MC, Jensen W, Guglielmelli E, Stieglitz T, Rossini PM, Micera S. Restoring natural sensory feedback in real-time bidirectional hand prostheses. Sci Transl Med 2014; 6:222ra19. [PMID: 24500407 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3006820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 513] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Hand loss is a highly disabling event that markedly affects the quality of life. To achieve a close to natural replacement for the lost hand, the user should be provided with the rich sensations that we naturally perceive when grasping or manipulating an object. Ideal bidirectional hand prostheses should involve both a reliable decoding of the user's intentions and the delivery of nearly "natural" sensory feedback through remnant afferent pathways, simultaneously and in real time. However, current hand prostheses fail to achieve these requirements, particularly because they lack any sensory feedback. We show that by stimulating the median and ulnar nerve fascicles using transversal multichannel intrafascicular electrodes, according to the information provided by the artificial sensors from a hand prosthesis, physiologically appropriate (near-natural) sensory information can be provided to an amputee during the real-time decoding of different grasping tasks to control a dexterous hand prosthesis. This feedback enabled the participant to effectively modulate the grasping force of the prosthesis with no visual or auditory feedback. Three different force levels were distinguished and consistently used by the subject. The results also demonstrate that a high complexity of perception can be obtained, allowing the subject to identify the stiffness and shape of three different objects by exploiting different characteristics of the elicited sensations. This approach could improve the efficacy and "life-like" quality of hand prostheses, resulting in a keystone strategy for the near-natural replacement of missing hands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stanisa Raspopovic
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa 56025, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Klöcker A, Oddo CM, Camboni D, Penta M, Thonnard JL. Physical factors influencing pleasant touch during passive fingertip stimulation. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101361. [PMID: 25000561 PMCID: PMC4084823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Tactile explorations with the fingertips provide information regarding the physical properties of surfaces and their relative pleasantness. Previously, we performed an investigation in the active touch domain and linked several surface properties (i.e. frictional force fluctuations and net friction) with their pleasantness levels. The aim of the present study was to investigate physical factors being important for pleasantness perception during passive fingertip stimulation. Specifically we were interested to see whether factors, such as surfaces' topographies or their frictional characteristics could influence pleasantness. Furthermore, we ascertained how the stimulus pleasantness level was impacted by (i) the normal force of stimulus application (FN) and (ii) the stimulus temperature (TS). METHODS AND RESULTS The right index fingertips of 22 blindfolded participants were stimulated using 27 different stimuli, which varied in average roughness (Ra) and TS. A 4-axis robot moved the stimuli horizontally under participants' fingertips with three levels of FN. The robot was equipped with force sensors, which recorded the FN and friction force (FT) during stimulation. Participants rated each stimulus according to a three-level pleasantness scale, as very pleasant (scored 0), pleasant (scored 1), or unpleasant (scored 2). These ordinal pleasantness ratings were logarithmically transformed into linear and unidimensional pleasantness measures with the Rasch model. Statistical analyses were conducted to investigate a possible link between the stimulus properties (i.e. Ra, FN, FT, and TS) and their respective pleasantness levels. Only the mean Ra and FT values were negatively correlated with pleasantness. No significant correlation was detected between FN or TS and pleasantness. CONCLUSION Pleasantness perception, resulting from passive fingertip stimulation, seems to be influenced by the surfaces' average roughness levels and average FT occurring during fingertip stimulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne Klöcker
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Domenico Camboni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Massimo Penta
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Louis Thonnard
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Caliò R, Rongala UB, Camboni D, Milazzo M, Stefanini C, de Petris G, Oddo CM. Piezoelectric energy harvesting solutions. Sensors (Basel) 2014; 14:4755-90. [PMID: 24618725 PMCID: PMC4003967 DOI: 10.3390/s140304755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 264] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This paper reviews the state of the art in piezoelectric energy harvesting. It presents the basics of piezoelectricity and discusses materials choice. The work places emphasis on material operating modes and device configurations, from resonant to non-resonant devices and also to rotational solutions. The reviewed literature is compared based on power density and bandwidth. Lastly, the question of power conversion is addressed by reviewing various circuit solutions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renato Caliò
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PISA, Italy.
| | - Udaya Bhaskar Rongala
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PISA, Italy.
| | - Domenico Camboni
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PISA, Italy.
| | - Mario Milazzo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PISA, Italy.
| | - Cesare Stefanini
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PISA, Italy.
| | - Gianluca de Petris
- Telecom Italia, WHITE Lab, Via Cardinale Maffi 27, Pisa 56126, PISA, Italy.
| | - Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PISA, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Oddo CM, Controzzi M, Beccai L, Cipriani C, Carrozza MC. Roughness Encoding for Discrimination of Surfaces in Artificial Active-Touch. IEEE T ROBOT 2011. [DOI: 10.1109/tro.2011.2116930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
|
29
|
Oddo CM, Beccai L, Wessberg J, Wasling HB, Mattioli F, Carrozza MC. Roughness encoding in human and biomimetic artificial touch: spatiotemporal frequency modulation and structural anisotropy of fingerprints. Sensors (Basel) 2011; 11:5596-615. [PMID: 22163915 PMCID: PMC3231457 DOI: 10.3390/s110605596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2011] [Revised: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 05/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The influence of fingerprints and their curvature in tactile sensing performance is investigated by comparative analysis of different design parameters in a biomimetic artificial fingertip, having straight or curved fingerprints. The strength in the encoding of the principal spatial period of ridged tactile stimuli (gratings) is evaluated by indenting and sliding the surfaces at controlled normal contact force and tangential sliding velocity, as a function of fingertip rotation along the indentation axis. Curved fingerprints guaranteed higher directional isotropy than straight fingerprints in the encoding of the principal frequency resulting from the ratio between the sliding velocity and the spatial periodicity of the grating. In parallel, human microneurography experiments were performed and a selection of results is included in this work in order to support the significance of the biorobotic study with the artificial tactile system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Calogero Maria Oddo
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Polo Sant’Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mail: (M.C.C.)
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +39-050-88-3136; Fax: +39-050-88-3101/497
| | - Lucia Beccai
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics@SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mails: (L.B.); (F.M.)
| | - Johan Wessberg
- Department of Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 11, SE-40530 Goteborg, Sweden; E-Mails: (J.W.); (H.B.W.)
| | - Helena Backlund Wasling
- Department of Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Medicinaregatan 11, SE-40530 Goteborg, Sweden; E-Mails: (J.W.); (H.B.W.)
| | - Fabio Mattioli
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics@SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mails: (L.B.); (F.M.)
| | - Maria Chiara Carrozza
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Polo Sant’Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mail: (M.C.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Oddo CM, Beccai L, Felder M, Giovacchini F, Carrozza MC. Artificial Roughness Encoding with a Bio-inspired MEMS- based Tactile Sensor Array. Sensors (Basel) 2009; 9:3161-83. [PMID: 22412304 PMCID: PMC3297154 DOI: 10.3390/s90503161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2009] [Revised: 04/22/2009] [Accepted: 04/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A compliant 2×2 tactile sensor array was developed and investigated for roughness encoding. State of the art cross shape 3D MEMS sensors were integrated with polymeric packaging providing in total 16 sensitive elements to external mechanical stimuli in an area of about 20 mm2, similarly to the SA1 innervation density in humans. Experimental analysis of the bio-inspired tactile sensor array was performed by using ridged surfaces, with spatial periods from 2.6 mm to 4.1 mm, which were indented with regulated 1N normal force and stroked at constant sliding velocity from 15 mm/s to 48 mm/s. A repeatable and expected frequency shift of the sensor outputs depending on the applied stimulus and on its scanning velocity was observed between 3.66 Hz and 18.46 Hz with an overall maximum error of 1.7%. The tactile sensor could also perform contact imaging during static stimulus indentation. The experiments demonstrated the suitability of this approach for the design of a roughness encoding tactile sensor for an artificial fingerpad.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Calogero Maria Oddo
- ARTS Lab - Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera / Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mails: (C.M. O.); (F. G.); (M.C. C.)
| | - Lucia Beccai
- ARTS Lab - Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera / Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mails: (C.M. O.); (F. G.); (M.C. C.)
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mails: ; Tel.: +3-905-088 3064; Fax: +3-905-088-3101/497
| | - Martin Felder
- Informatics - Robotics & Embedded Systems, Technical University of Munich / 85748 Garching b. Muenchen, Germany; E-mail: (M. F.)
| | - Francesco Giovacchini
- ARTS Lab - Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera / Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mails: (C.M. O.); (F. G.); (M.C. C.)
| | - Maria Chiara Carrozza
- ARTS Lab - Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera / Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, PI, Italy; E-Mails: (C.M. O.); (F. G.); (M.C. C.)
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Vitiello N, Olcese U, Oddo CM, Carpaneto J, Micera S, Carrozza MC, Dario P. A simple highly efficient non invasive EMG-based HMI. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2008; 2006:3403-6. [PMID: 17945773 DOI: 10.1109/iembs.2006.259467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Muscle activity recorded non-invasively is sufficient to control a mobile robot if it is used in combination with an algorithm for its asynchronous analysis. In this paper, we show that several subjects successfully can control the movements of a robot in a structured environment made up of six rooms by contracting two different muscles using a simple algorithm. After a small training period, subjects were able to control the robot with performances comparable to those achieved manually controlling the robot.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Vitiello
- ARTS Lab., Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Abstract
The purpose of this study has been to compare the acute antihypertensive effect of a dose of 20 mg of ketanserin in 18 patients after sublingual administration and in 19 after oral administration. In three patients ketanserin and ketanserin-ol plasma levels were measured after both sublingual and oral administration. The results showed a more rapid, considerable antihypertensive effect after sublingual administration. In addition, the high plasma levels of ketanserin-ol, the metabolite produced by hepatic reduction of ketanserin, reached after sublingual administration, rather than transmucosal absorption, indicate that the clinical effect observed is due to more rapid dissolution of the tablet formulation and liberation of the active drug.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Aliberti
- Clinica Medica, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Celi FS, D'Erasmo E, Oddo CM, Aliberti G. Carbenoxolone and hypokalaemic hypertension: case report. Riv Eur Sci Med Farmacol 1988; 10:383-4. [PMID: 3274721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|