We have seen many people who are suffering from diseases like stroke and partial paralysis may find it difficult to move their hands or fingers. Though physiotherapy may help in some cases, it will take time and the probability is very low.
Developers at the Tokyo University have made a new device called â€œPossessedHandâ€ which has some properties of a blood pressure cuff that is tied on to your arm. The device produces an electrical signal that is passed on from your arm to your fingers. For each type of signal produced, the device will produce a small nudge on your fingers and thus move them at specific different pre-determined angles.
Sony Co. has also given its technical support in developing the device. Apart from the small tools like DIYers used in the machine, the main part of the device is the Arduino Microcontroller. The signals from the microcontroller are passed on to 28 different electrodes that are strapped on to the arm. Some machines similar to this one have been invented earlier, but all of them had the disadvantage of inserting the electrode inside the skin, which is rather painful. In this method, the electrode pads are just strapped on to the outer layer of the skin. The effect that the signals produce will be same when compared to other conventional methods. In fact, the device is so smooth that the developers like to compare it with a hand massager. Another major advantage of this device is that the movement of the arm, wrists and fingers is not caused by a forced current, but just a gentle nudge from the currents.
The applications of this device vary from learning to play a guitar to speech translation techniques. All you have to do is program the microcontroller with the desired music lesson and place the electrodes on to your arms. This will help you to learn the guitar faster. If you are unaware of translating a speech by using hands, for the hearing impaired, you could use the PoosessedHand. The applications in the medical field include movement of the hands for stroke affected victims.
All these applications are possible only if the device is programmed in different modes for different uses. Due to its wide range of applications, many programs will have to be fed to the device and this is quite a problem. But, if the device is restricted for a single use, it can be easily implemented.