A myokinetic hmi for the control of hand prostheses: A feasibility study

Abstract

In an attempt to overcome the several limitations of currently available/investigated human-machine interfaces (HMI) for the control of robotic hand prostheses, we propose a new HMI exploiting the magnetic field produced by magnets implanted in the muscles. As a magnet is implanted in a muscle it will travel with it, and its localization could provide a direct measure of the contraction/elongation of that muscle, which is voluntarily controlled by the individual. Here we present a proof of concept of a single magnet localizer, which computes on-line the position of a magnet in a certain workspace. In particular, the system comprises a pair of magnetic field sensors mounted on custom printed circuit boards, and an algorithm that resolves the inverse magnetic problem using the magnetic dipole model. The accuracy and the repeatability of our system were evaluated using six miniature magnets. Ongoing results suggest that the envisioned system is viable.