Surrogate pointing device for cognitive sensory feedback

Thomsen, Mai Kristiane

4. term

Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Master

2017

2017-06-06

63 pages

One of the challenges within the field of prosthetics is to restore the missing sensory function that comes with an amputation. Throughout the years several techniques have been designed and tested to provide amputees with sensory feedback as a replacement for the lost function. This study seeks to design a surrogate pointing device for cognitive sensory feedback for a simple two-dimensional movement. A screen cursor was adapted as pointing device in target reaching tasks in response to the centre-out task being controlled by a human subject through an analog joystick. The sensory feedback was im-plemented as non-invasive vibro-tactile sensations projected onto the skin of the subject, i.e. imitat-ing the cursors movement on the screen. The experiments were conducted in five trials, slowly enhancing the learning curve for the subject, before tests were conducted where the subject had to solely rely on the vibration feedback as orien-tation of the cursors movements. The results showed a steep learning curve when the visual feed-back was taken away. Furthermore, it proved that small targets (target<10x10) were almost impossi-ble to reach with the proximity of the feedback given. Results further showed that a combination of visual and sensation feedback proved effective in the target reaching tasks and could even reduce the efficacy by almost 3 second.

sensory feedback ; cognetive sensory feedback ; surrogate pointing device ; prosthetic ; centre-out task ; target reaching

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