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Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 36836

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Kimiyasu Kiyota

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Guest Editor

Department of Human-Oriented Information Systems Engineering, National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Kumamoto College, Kumamoto, Japan
Interests: Welfare engineering; Human interface; Educational technology

Prof. Akira Shionoya

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Guest Editor

Graduate School of Information and Management Systems Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Niigata, Japan
Interests: Sport engineering; Biomechanics; Human dynamics; Sport material; Applied physiology

Prof. Mitsuteru Inoue

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Guest Editor

National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Tokyo, Japan
Interests: magnetophotonics; spin system; spin waves; hologram memory; hologram display

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on assistive technology (AT) to address biomechanical and control of movement issues in individuals with impaired health, whether as a result of disability, disease, or injury.

All over the world, technologies are developed that make human life richer and more comfortable. However, there are people who are not able to benefit from these technologies.

Research can include (but is not limited to) development of new assistive technology to promote more effective movement, the use of existing technology to assess and treat movement disorders, the use and effectiveness of virtual rehabilitation, or theoretical issues such as modeling which underlie the biomechanics or motor control of movement disorders. This issue will also cover Internet of Things (IoT) sensing technology and nursing care robot applications that can be applied to new assistive technologies. IoT includes data, more specifically gathering them efficiently and using them to enable intelligence, control, and new applications.

In Japan, the National Institute of Technology (KOSEN) started their latest research project, called GEAR 5.0, in May 2020. The AT and medical engineering are the key disciplines selected as the focus of the GEAR 5.0 project.

The International Symposium on Advances in Technology Education (ISATE) 2021 will be held in Turku, Finland, 17-20 August 2021 and will provide the special symposium of “Health Technology and Medical Engineering” and “Functional Engineering Materials” to publish the research achievements of the GEAR5.0 project carried out by the National Institute of Technology, Japan. This Special Issue will be published as a collection of some of the most outstanding studies published at ISATE 2021. However, more than that, we want to discover new advanced science and technologies related to AT from all over the world. Thus, in this Special Issue, we will publish papers relating to assistive technology, such as biomechatronics, sport engineering, human dynamics, biomechanical, and control of movement with IoT sensors.

Prof. Kimiyasu Kiyota
Prof. Akira Shionoya
Prof. Mitsuteru Inoue
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Human dynamics
Biomechatronics
Communication aid
Sport engineering
Cognitive science
Human interface
Medical engineering
Biosensors
Motor control
Internet of Things

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 6219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Human Standing Posture Motion Evaluation by the Visual Simulation of Multi-Directional Sea-Waves

by Renon Doine and Takanori Sakamaki

Sensors 2022, 22(15), 5884; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22155884 - 6 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1904

Abstract

Crew fatigue from standing posture motion, caused by ship motion, can lead to marine accidents. Therefore, the mechanism of fatigue in crew members ought to be elucidated. The standing posture of humans is maintained by postural state detection through the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems. Humans can adjust their posture through corrective postural reactions (CPR) generated after anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) by using information from these sensory systems. APAs refer to skills acquired by learning from past motions and perturbations and are prepared by the central nervous system based on visual information before the actual perturbation occurs. We hypothesized that APAs would decrease fatigue in crew members by stabilizing their standing posture motions. We aimed to clarify the human standing posture control influenced by APAs based on visual information. To this end, we presented wave images with different wave directions to the participants using a visual simulator and analyzed their standing posture motion. We found that the participants stabilized their standing posture based on the projected wave directions. This showed that the participants predicted ship motion from the wave images and controlled their center of pressure (COP) through APAs. Individual differences in standing postural motion may indicate the subjective variation of APAs based on individual experiences. This study was limited to males aged 20–23 years. To generalize this study, randomized controlled trials should be performed with participants of multiple age groups, including men and women. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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11 pages, 4567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impedance Characteristics of Monolayer and Bilayer Graphene Films with Biofilm Formation and Growth

by Ryoichi Nakagawa, Kai Saito, Hideyuki Kanematsu, Hidekazu Miura, Masatou Ishihara, Dana M. Barry, Takeshi Kogo, Akiko Ogawa, Nobumitsu Hirai, Takeshi Hagio, Ryoichi Ichino, Masahito Ban, Michiko Yoshitake and Stefan Zimmermann

Sensors 2022, 22(9), 3548; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22093548 - 6 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3455

Abstract

Biofilms are the result of bacterial activity. When the number of bacteria (attached to materials’ surfaces) reaches a certain threshold value, then the bacteria simultaneously excrete organic polymers (EPS: extracellular polymeric substances). These sticky polymers encase and protect the bacteria. They are called biofilms and contain about 80% water. Other components of biofilm include polymeric carbon compounds such as polysaccharides and bacteria. It is well-known that biofilms cause various medical and hygiene problems. Therefore, it is important to have a sensor that can detect biofilms to solve such problems. Graphene is a single-atom-thick sheet in which carbon atoms are connected in a hexagonal shape like a honeycomb. Carbon compounds generally bond easily to graphene. Therefore, it is highly possible that graphene could serve as a sensor to monitor biofilm formation and growth. In our previous study, monolayer graphene was prepared on a glass substrate by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Its biofilm forming ability was compared with that of graphite. As a result, the CVD graphene film had the higher sensitivity for biofilm formation. However, the monolayer graphene has a mechanical disadvantage when used as a biofilm sensor. Therefore, for this new research project, we prepared bilayer graphene with high mechanical strength by using the CVD process on copper substrates. For these specimens, we measured the capacitance component of the specimens’ impedance. In addition, we have included a discussion about the possibility of applying them as future sensors for monitoring biofilm formation and growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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13 pages, 494 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Image Correction Methods for Regions of Interest in Liver Cirrhosis Classification on CNNs

by Yoshihiro Mitani, Robert B. Fisher, Yusuke Fujita, Yoshihiko Hamamoto and Isao Sakaida

Sensors 2022, 22(9), 3378; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22093378 - 28 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4020

Abstract

The average error rate in liver cirrhosis classification on B-mode ultrasound images using the traditional pattern recognition approach is still too high. In order to improve the liver cirrhosis classification performance, image correction methods and a convolution neural network (CNN) approach are focused on. The impact of image correction methods on region of interest (ROI) images that are input into the CNN for the purpose of classifying liver cirrhosis based on data from B-mode ultrasound images is investigated. In this paper, image correction methods based on tone curves are developed. The experimental results show positive benefits from the image correction methods by improving the image quality of ROI images. By enhancing the image contrast of ROI images, the image quality improves and thus the generalization ability of the CNN also improves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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17 pages, 5613 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Posture Estimation Using Surface Electromyography during Wheelchair Hand-Rim Operations

by Satoshi Ohashi, Akira Shionoya, Keiu Harada, Masahito Nagamori and Hisashi Uchiyama

Sensors 2022, 22(9), 3296; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22093296 - 25 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2329

Abstract

This study examined competitive wheelchairs that facilitate sports participation. They can be moved straight ahead using only one arm. Our designed and developed competitive wheel-chairs have a dual hand-rim system. Their two hand-rims, attached to a drive wheel on one side, can be operated simultaneously for straight-ahead movement. Specifically, based on integrated electromyography (iEMG) data calculated from surface electromyography (sEMG), we examined the wheelchair loading characteristics, posture estimation, and effects on body posture during one-arm propulsion movement. The first experiment yielded insights into arm and shoulder-joint muscle activation from iEMG results obtained for two-hand propulsion and dual hand-rim system propulsion. Results suggest that muscle activation of one arm can produce equal propulsive force to that produced by two arms. The second experiment estimated the movement posture from iEMG during one-arm wheelchair propulsion. The external oblique abdominis is particularly important for one-arm wheelchair propulsion. The iEMG posture estimation validity was verified based on changes in the user body axis and seat pressure distribution. In conclusion, as confirmed by iEMG, which is useful to estimate posture during movement, one-arm wheelchair use requires different muscle activation sites and posture than when using two arms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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13 pages, 3254 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploration of an Inflection Point of Ventilation Parameters with Anaerobic Threshold Using Strucchange

by Takenori Aida, Akira Shionoya, Hirofumi Nonaka, Kouji Hayami, Hisashi Uchiyama, Masahiro Nagamori, Satoshi Ohhashi, Mai Kobayashi, Tsugumi Takayama and Shinji Kimura

Sensors 2022, 22(7), 2682; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22072682 - 31 Mar 2022

Viewed by 3479

Abstract

(1) Background: When measuring anaerobic work threshold (AT), the conventional V-slope method includes the subjectivity of the examiner, which cannot be eliminated completely. Therefore, we implemented an engineering method using strucchange to objectively search for the inflection point of AT. (2) Methods: Seventeen subjects (15 men and 2 women) were included in the study. The subjects rode an ergometer and performed a ramp load test for 18 min and 30 s. (3) Results: In VE (Ventilation), 11 out of 12 subjects had the same results with 95% confidence intervals for the AT by the strucchange and respiratory metabolic apparatus. In VCO₂ (Carbon dioxide emissions), 9 out of 12 subjects had the same results with 95% confidence intervals for the AT with the strucchange and respiratory metabolic apparatus. In VE, 3 out of 12 subjects showed the same results for respiratory metabolic analysis and the AT by the V-slope method. In VCO₂, 3 out of 12 subjects showed the same results for the respiratory metabolic analysis and AT by the V-slope method in VCO₂. (4) Conclusions: Strucchange was more objective and significant in identifying the AT than the V-slope method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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14 pages, 6522 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Remote Health Monitoring System to Prevent Frailty in Elderly Home-Care Patients with COPD

by Chisato Ohashi, Shunsuke Akiguchi and Mineko Ohira

Sensors 2022, 22(7), 2670; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22072670 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4040

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the general term used to describe respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema of the lungs. COPD is known to cause the onset of frailty due to limitations of physical activity (PA) in daily life and undernutrition. Here, we report the development process of a remote health monitoring and support system employing a tablet computer (iPad), that was created to help prevent frailty in elderly home-care patients with COPD, and the results of its use by two elderly home-care COPD patients. There was a significant increase in PA duration in one participant after use of the system, compared to before use (15.2 min (8.9) vs. 24.2 min (7.4), p < 0.001). PA duration also increased in the other participant (39.7 (8.1) vs. 42.9 (12.9) min; 8.1%), although the difference was not statistically significant. The system enabled recognition of patients’ behavior modifications to promote health. It is difficult to obtain quantitative data for health support, such as for respiratory rehabilitation in elderly COPD patients living at home. However, the present results suggest that virtually connecting patients with their support networks via information and communication technology (ICT) equipment provides support for the physical aspect of their care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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11 pages, 403 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimating the Emotional Information in Japanese Songs Using Search Engines

by Jin Akaishi, Masaki Sakata, Jouichiro Yoshinaga, Mitsutaka Nakano, Kazuhiro Koshi and Kimiyasu Kiyota

Sensors 2022, 22(5), 1800; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22051800 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2532

Abstract

Several studies have shown that music can reduce unpleasant emotions. Based on the results of this research, several systems have been proposed to suggest songs that match the emotions of the audience. As a part of the system, we aim to develop a method that can infer the emotional value of a song from its Japanese lyrics with higher accuracy, by applying the technology of inferring the emotions expressed in sentences. In addition to matching with a basic emotion dictionary, we use a Web search engine to evaluate the sentiment of words that are not included in the dictionary. As a further improvement, as a pre-processing of the input to the system, the system corrects the omissions of the following verbs or particles and inverted sentences, which are frequently used in Japanese lyrics, into normal sentences. We quantitatively evaluate the degree to which these processes improve the emotion estimation system. The results show that the preprocessing could improve the accuracy by about 4%. Japanese lyrics contain many informal sentences such as inversions. We pre-processed these sentences into formal sentences and investigated the effect of the pre-processing on the emotional inference of the lyrics. The results show that the preprocessing may improve the accuracy of emotion estimation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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14 pages, 4124 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deep Learning-Based Myoelectric Potential Estimation Method for Wheelchair Operation

by Shimpei Aihara, Ryusei Shibata, Ryosuke Mizukami, Takara Sakai and Akira Shionoya

Sensors 2022, 22(4), 1615; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22041615 - 18 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2393

Abstract

Wheelchair sports are recognized as an international sport, and research and support are being promoted to increase the competitiveness of wheelchair sports. For example, an electromyogram can observe muscle activity. However, it is generally used under controlled conditions due to the complexity of preparing the measurement equipment and the movement restrictions imposed by cables and measurement equipment. It is difficult to perform measurements in actual competition environments. Therefore, in this study, we developed a method to estimate myoelectric potential that can be used in competitive environments and does not limit physical movement. We developed a deep learning model that outputs surface myoelectric potentials by inputting camera images of wheelchair movements and the measured values of inertial sensors installed on wheelchairs. For seven subjects, we estimated the myoelectric potential during chair work, which is important in wheelchair sports. As a result of creating an in-subject model and comparing the estimated myoelectric potential with the myoelectric potential measured by an electromyogram, we confirmed a correlation (correlation coefficient 0.5 or greater at a significance level of 0.1%). Since this method can estimate the myoelectric potential without limiting the movement of the body, it is considered that it can be applied to the performance evaluation of wheelchair sports. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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13 pages, 2463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Isomotive Insulator-Based Dielectrophoretic Device by Measuring the Particle Velocity

by Ryu Nakabayashi and Masanori Eguchi

Sensors 2022, 22(4), 1533; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22041533 - 16 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2164

Abstract

Many dielectrophoretic (DEP) devices for biomedical application have been suggested, such as the separation, concentration, and detection of biological cells or molecules. Most of these devices utilize the difference in their DEP properties. However, single-cell analysis is required to evaluate individual properties. Therefore, this paper proposed a modified isomotive insulator-based DEP (iDEP) creek-gap device for straightforward single-cell analysis, which is capable of measurement at a wide frequency band. The proposed iDEP device generates more constant particle velocity than the previous study. The insulator was fabricated using backside exposure for accurate forming. We measured the distribution of the particle velocity and frequency property, using homogeneous polystyrene particles to verify the effectiveness of the proposed device. The results show that the particle velocity distribution was consistent with the distribution of the numerically calculated electric field square (

\nabla E_{rms}^{2}

). Furthermore, the velocity measurement, at a wide frequency band, from 10 Hz to 20 MHz, was performed because of the long distance between electrodes. These results suggest that the prop-erties of various particles or cells can be obtained by simple measurement using the proposed device. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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12 pages, 3063 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Data Analysis and System Development for Medical Professionals on Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Orthostatic Dysregulation by Processing-Healthcare Professionals and Patients

by Miyori Shirasuna

Sensors 2022, 22(3), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22031254 - 7 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1931

Abstract

This paper presents the details of our research and the activities involved. Japan is one of the most advanced countries in medicine worldwide. However, in terms of technology, knowledge sharing, and successor development, Japanese medicine lags behind other developed countries, and these matters require addressing. The country is also facing a shortage of doctors, among other things, and this medical problem will surely become critical in the near future. In this study, we aim to help solve such problems from the medical engineering viewpoint, analyze and create systems based on the experience of doctors from the engineering viewpoint, and make it easy for patients to understand orthodox and general statistical analysis methods. We perform a visualization and quantitative medical data analysis and examine diagnostic support. We consider sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), and orthostatic dysregulation (OD) in children in this study. This research aims to detect SAS early, identify people with pre-SAS who are likely to become SAS in the near future, and identify OD. We analyze and identify these diseases through statistics and a multivariate analysis and create a dedicated analysis system for them. Our research and system development will allow specialists to make informed diagnoses, reproduce empirical rules, improve work efficiency, and improve patients’ health awareness. This research has only looks at two diseases, but these methods can be expected to be applied to other diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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14 pages, 3081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Social Implementation Education for Assistive Device Engineers at NIT (KOSEN) through the Development of a Digital Reading Device for the Visually Impaired

by Kimiyasu Kiyota, Takaaki Ishibashi, Manabu Shimakawa and Kazuyuki Ito

Sensors 2022, 22(3), 1047; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22031047 - 28 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2981

Abstract

Assistive technology (AT) is any item, device, software, or product system used to enhance, maintain, or improve the functional abilities of people with disabilities. There are many people with disabilities in the world, including the visually impaired, the hearing impaired, and the physically impaired. We established the National KOSEN Support Equipment Development Network (KOSEN-AT) with technical college faculty members 10 years ago to assist these disabled and elderly people. However, Japan is facing the challenge of a rapidly aging society, and the digital transformation of assistive device development for people with disabilities has not been adequately addressed. A major reason for this is the lack of engineers in Japan who can develop products with an understanding of the needs of people with disabilities and the elderly. In this paper, we describe a new initiative of the GEAR 5.0 program, a practical engineer education program that will enable the development of assistive devices for the physically challenged and the elderly, which started in 2020 at the National Institute of Technology in Japan. We believe that it is necessary to educate technicians not only with conventional specialized skills, but also with a full understanding of the concept of disability and basic skills in assistive technology. Next, we developed “Touch Talker”, a digital text reading system for the visually impaired. As a part of the GEAR 5.0 program, we conducted an evaluation experiment in which students from a technical college experienced visual impairment in the same blindfolded environment as visually impaired people to evaluate the developed assistive device. To verify its importance, we developed a digital text-to-speech system for the visually impaired, “Touch Talker”, as part of the GEAR 5.0 program. We thought that by conducting evaluation experiments in the same blindfolded environment as visually impaired people, we could make technical college students aware of the difficulties of operating digital devices due to visual impairment. The results of the experiment showed that the developed “Touch Talker” was effective for both the visually impaired group and the blindfolded technical college student group. The evaluation results also showed a similar trend, confirming that the evaluation by blindfolded technical college students is effective for the development of assistive devices for the visually impaired. In addition, the technical college students who participated in the evaluation experiment were able to understand the difficulty of operating digital devices by experiencing visual impairment. It was suggested that the perspective of the people involved is important in the development of assistive devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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10 pages, 1464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tracking and Classification of Head Movement for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems

by Carlos Wellington P. Gonçalves, Rogério A. Richa and Antonio P. L. Bo

Sensors 2022, 22(2), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22020435 - 7 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2997

Abstract

The use of assistive technologies can mitigate or reduce the challenges faced by individuals with motor disabilities to use computer systems. However, those who feature severe involuntary movements often have fewer options at hand. This work describes an application that can recognize the user’s head using a conventional webcam, track its motion, model the desired functional movement, and recognize it to enable the use of a virtual keyboard. The proposed classifier features a flexible structure and may be personalized for different user need. Experimental results obtained with participants with no neurological disorders have shown that classifiers based on Hidden Markov Models provided similar or better performance than a classifier based on position threshold. However, motion segmentation and interpretation modules were sensitive to involuntary movements featured by participants with cerebral palsy that took part in the study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistive Technology and Biomechatronics Engineering)

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