Touchispart ofthesomatosensory system.

Thissystemcoversthemanytypesoffeelings
experiencedfromtheoutsideoftheenvironment.Theseincludetactition,thermoception
&nociception,andproprioception.
Specifically,discriminativetouchdealswithsensationssuchastouch,pressure,and
vibration.Thesesensationsaretransferredthroughsensoryreceptorslocatedinorgans
(typicallytheskin)whereafreenerveendingdepolarizesandtriggersanactionpotential
thatsendsitthroughthenervoussystemtobefeltfromthebody.

TheDEKA armisaprostheticarmthatiscapableofcontrolandtouch.Developmentofthe
armwasinitiatedin2005withalargeamountresearchinitiativesgeneratedfromDARPA.
Theseinitiativeswerestartedduetotheneedforbetterprostheticsforveteransreturning
fromtheIraqiwar.DevelopedbyDeanKamen (ofsegway fame),FDAapprovalwasgranted
in2014forproductionandcommercialuse.Thedelayexperiencednowisduetoasupplier
needforbringingitforward.

Regardingprosthetics,theyaredevicesthatare manufacturedtoreplaceanotherbody
part.Inregardstoarmprosthetics,thesimplestdesignstypicallyutilizeavoluntary
open/closesystem,whichissimilartoasolenoid.Gripisactuatedbyatriggerfrom
somethingelse(ie afootpumporsimilar)andwillchangethedefaultposition(eitheropen
orclose)totheopposite.Forarmprosthetics,poweristypicallyderivedfromthebodyor
fromanelectricalsupply.

DEKAisan researchanddevelopmentcompanyfoundedbyDeanKamen.Asnotedonthe
earlierslide,hewasfamousforthesegway.Astheircompanydealsalmostexclusivelywith
researchanddevelopment,informationregardingcurrentprojectsistight,butitisknown
thatfortheDEKAarm,thecompanyisworkingwithtwoprosthetists;NextStopOrthotics
andProsthetics,aswellasBiodesigns Inc.

Next stepisthecompanythatDEKAhasbeenworkingwithforcreationoftheDEKAarm
throughtheDARPAinitiative.Theyarealargecompanywithoutfitsincalifornia
(specificallyriverside),buttheirmainofficesareontheeastcoast.Astheyareafullservice
prostheticcompany,theyworkthroughallaspectsoftheprocess,whichincludessetupand
moldingoftheprosthetics,surgeries,andorchestratingPTforrehabilitation.Addressand
phonenumberasfollows.

TheDEKAprosthetic armwillbepoweredbyabatteryformovement.Regardingcontrol
architecture,therearemanymethodsthatarebeingplannedwiththeDEKAarm.Themain
controlplannedisthemyoelectrical withwith sensation,whichinvolveselectrode
attachmentwhichpicksuponmusclemovementandconvertsitintoasignalforcontrol.
Theseelectrodesarelinkedtothesensorynerveswhichwouldnormallycontrolthe
hand/arm(Hewitt,2013).Theotheroptionsaremethodsofcontrolwhichincludeusing
wirelesssensorsthatareembeddedinshoesolesforfinitemovement.

SignalfrombodysendscommandtomovemissingappendagethroughEMGinskin,
Microprocessorconvertssignaltoinitiatemovement(andfiltersoutoverrange EMGsignals
topreventrandommovement). Sensorsfromtheprostheticreceiveelectricalsignalsthata
partofthehandisbeingtouchedorhasfeedback;thissignalisthensentbackthroughthe
EMGpathwaytofakethetouch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=63&v=DIodb8qM9N0

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Witteveen studywasconductedin2014,inwhichHeidiWitteveen conductedmultiple

testsfortactilefeedback.Onesuchtestinvolvedacombinationofvibrotactile and
electrotactile feedbackinsimulatinggraspinganobject.Init,avirtualhandwascontrolled
throughascrollwheelonamouse.Theincrementalbumpsinthescrollwheelwere
removed,andtheforearmwasoutfittedwithelectrodesandcoinmotors.Theywere
checkedforcomfortrange,andthenthesubjectwastestedusingmultiplecuesand
responsetimesandaccuracywaschecked.

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InarecentstudyconductedbyWitteveen,additionalanalysiswasconductedwith single
coinmotorswithaccelerometersattachedtothem.Theywereattachedtosubjectsandthe
calculationsontheforceexertedbythecoinmotorwereconductedasasecondorder
systemwithaPIcontroller.Thiscontrollerwasusedalongwiththecurrentsuppliedtothe
coinmotortoincreasetheforcegeneratedontheskinandintensitywasdenotedbythe
subject.

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Use ofcoinmotorsasavibrotactile sensorshowsmerit,butonlyininstanceswith

continuoussensoryfeedback.Thetechnicallimitationsforcoinmotorsisthesettlingtime
delay(thetimeittakesforthemotortostopafternotreceivingthesignal),whichduring
theanalysiswasclockedat750ms.Additionally,anadditionaldelayofthePIcontroller
(withrefreshclockedat50ms)makesthisdevicedifficulttouseforrapidanddynamic
sensoryfeedback(ie.Touchstoptouchinstancesorquickrapidfluxuations insensation(ie
pressure).Theiruseinconjunctionwithanothertypeofsensoryfeedbackmechanismasa
control could be utilized for more accurate sensory feedback
controlcouldbeutilizedformoreaccuratesensoryfeedback.

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