Browsing by Author "Micera, Silvestro"

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    An Adaptive Prosthetic Hand with Compliant Joints and EMG-based Control
    (2005) Carrozza, Maria Chiara; Zaccone, Franco; Micera, Silvestro; Cappiello, Giovanni; Stellin, Giovanni; Vecchi, Fabrizio; Dario, Paolo
    In this paper some recent results about the experimental trials we are performing on a functional prosthetic hand characterized by an EMG-control and by a simple and low cost fabrication technology are shown. A compliant under-actuated prosthetic hand has been designed and fabricated. The five-fingered hand (both palm and fingers) is moulded as a soft polymeric single part with compliant joints and embedded tendon driven under-actuated mechanism for providing adaptive grasp. The maximum measured cylindrical grasping force is 30 N. The one DoF prosthetic hand is controlled using two pre-amplified EMG electrodes. The proposed EMG-based control is a Finite State Machine (FSM). A particular attention has been given to the calibration phase. In order to identify the end of the grasp, the intensity of the current is monitored. Moreover, the microcontroller stops the motor when the average current overcomes the value imposed. Compared to other EMG based controllers, the approach proposed is very simple but it presents a good robustness and needs a minimum computational cost.
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    Controlling Hand Prostheses Using Peripheral Intraneural Interfaces
    (2011) Micera, Silvestro
    The development of more effective approaches to control dexterous hand prostheses is an important area of research that is currently addressed by several research groups. Among the possible solutions to achieve this goal, interfaces with the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and in particular intraneural electrodes can represent an interesting choice. In fact, they can provide an intimate and selective connection with the PNS without increasing in a significant way the invasiveness. In this paper some recent research activities pursued by my team on this topic are briefly summarized.