Smart Sock Helps Restore Sensation for Amputees

理所当然的触摸感觉很容易。多亏了感应可穿戴的,那些使用假肢的人享有新的感官意识。

Thanks to 3D printing and a range of other technologies, prosthetics have come a long way in terms of fit and function, giving amputees the freedom to experience the world in ways they used to, or perhaps never have before. Yet there has always been something missing from the experience: sensation.

Now, thanks to a new project devloped by University of Applied Sciences in Linz, Austria, this need is being addressed. The proCover, which was presented at the Association for Computing Machinery’s UIST conference, relies on smart fabric and haptic feedback to give lower limb prosthetic wearers a customized sense of touch. The technology makes it possible for the user to discriminate between touches that occur in different areas on the foot and adjust to pressure variability (for example, using a pedal).

As explained in aTechCrunch文章,Procover利用覆盖整个脚和脚踝的压力敏感网格。脚的某些部位的压力(在这种情况下为脚步)会激活某些电动机以不同的频率振动,从而产生感觉。

该团队目前正在测试Procover,并正在探索如何将技术转化为手套盖,这将为使用上肢假肢的人提供相同的好处。

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