Device Development for Detecting Thumb Opposition Impairment Using Carbon Nanotube-Based Strain Sensors

Sensors

卷:20

Yu Takahashi¹  Koji Fujita²  Akimoto Nimura²  Toru Sasaki³  Takafumi Koyama³  Atsushi Okawa³  Tomoyuki Kuroiwa³ 

[1] AI Group, Department of 1st Research and Development, Yamaha Corporation, Shizuoka 430-0904, Japan;

[2] Department of Functional Joint Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan;

[3] Department of Orthopaedic and Spinal Surgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan;

关键词: motion analysis;    thumb opposition;    carbon nanotube sensor;    carpal tunnel syndrome;    device development;    diagnostic device;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s20143998

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Research into hand-sensing is the focus of various fields, such as medical engineering and ergonomics. The thumb is essential in these studies, as there is great value in assessing its opposition function. However, evaluation methods in the medical field, such as physical examination and computed tomography, and existing sensing methods in the ergonomics field have various shortcomings. Therefore, we conducted a comparative study using a carbon nanotube-based strain sensor to assess whether opposition movement and opposition impairment can be detected in 20 hands of volunteers and 14 hands of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome while avoiding existing shortcomings. We assembled a measurement device with two sensors and attached it to the dorsal skin of the first carpometacarpal joint. We measured sensor expansion and calculated the correlation coefficient during thumb motion. The average correlation coefficient significantly increased in the patient group, and intrarater and interrater reliability were good. Thus, the device accurately detected thumb opposition impairment due to carpal tunnel syndrome, with superior sensitivity and specificity relative to conventional manual inspection, and may also detect opposition impairment due to various diseases. Additionally, in the future, it could be used as an easy, affordable, and accurate sensor in sensor gloves.

【 授权许可】

Unknown