Bionic Prosthesis Depth Camera Environmental Perception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bionic prostheses for limb amputees face challenges in achieving natural movement and precise control without significant mental or physical effort, and have limited environmental awareness, leading to restricted motion and high mental load.
Innovation Solution
A bionic prosthesis equipped with a prosthetic distal segment, a motor-driven hinge device, and a control unit that utilizes depth cameras to generate three-dimensional point clouds of the environment, allowing for adaptive positioning and improved autonomy and precision in movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If myoelectric sensors are used to detect muscle contractions for controlling the prosthesis, then the prosthesis can respond to the amputee's intentions, but extensive reeducation is required and precise control is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/myoelectric control system with an optical sensing system using depth cameras. Instead of requiring the amputee to control muscle contractions mechanically, the system uses depth cameras to detect the amputee's movements and intentions optically, automatically translating them into prosthesis control commands without requiring reeducation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces depth cameras as an intermediary between the amputee's intentions and the prosthesis control. The cameras capture the amputee's movements and the control unit processes this visual information to generate appropriate control commands, serving as a mediator that eliminates the need for direct muscle control
2Adaptability or versatility
If pre-programmed actions are used in electronic prostheses, then the prosthesis can perform specific functions, but the amputee must activate them via mobile application which increases mental load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the prosthesis to automatically detect and respond to the amputee's intentions through depth camera monitoring. The system serves itself by continuously analyzing the environment and amputee movements, automatically adjusting prosthesis actions without requiring the amputee to manually activate pre-programmed functions or bear mental load for control decisions
3Extent of automation
If resistance measurement means are added to adapt motion control, then the prosthesis can react to environmental conditions, but the overall system complexity increases and autonomy is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the depth camera system multi-functional by using it for both environmental perception and motion intention detection. The same optical sensing system that maps the environment also tracks the amputee's movements and intentions, eliminating the need for separate resistance measurement means and reducing overall system complexity while enhancing autonomy
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a bionic prosthesis of the lower or upper limb, having a prosthetic distal segment, in other words a prosthetic foot or a prosthetic hand, adapted to come into contact with a terrain or with an object to be grasped; a prosthetic middle segment, in other words a prosthetic tibia or a prosthetic forearm; at least one motorized articulation device, of which one is connected mechanically to the prosthetic distal segment and to the prosthetic middle segment; at least one depth camera adapted to generate a three-dimensional point cloud; a control unit configured to process the three-dimensional point cloud and to control said at least one motorized articulation device, so as to adapt the positioning of the prosthetic distal segment with respect to the terrain or to the object to be grasped.