{"title":"From Robotics to Prosthetics: What Design and Engineering Can Do Better Together","authors":"M. Fossati, G. Grioli, M. G. Catalano, A. Bicchi","doi":"10.1145/3588323","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This paper discusses how the disciplines of Design and Engineering are jointly addressing disability and somehow affecting its very interpretation. The discussion focuses on high-tech prostheses, where robotic devices substitute human body parts. The application of robotic technologies to prosthetics has a relatively long history. Nevertheless, only in the last decade have we witnessed applications reach the market and become available for a large base of users who were offered prostheses with superior motor and sensory performance. The process of bringing ever more advanced technologies to fruition by prosthetic users is fully ongoing today, with some promising solutions coming from robotics (such as, e.g. AI techniques or soft robotics materials) to be transferred to human use. In this transfer process, technology alone is insufficient to warrant success, and the need for a close collaboration between the Engineering domain and the Design disciplines is apparent. We address this point with specific reference to a case study, i.e. the transformation of an innovative but by-now established technology in the industrial robotics field (the “Pisa/IIT SoftHand”) into a prosthetic hand (the “SoftHand Pro”). Besides obvious technical considerations about size, connections, control, and so on, which can be addressed with a thorough technical revision of the design, what makes the profound difference between the two devices is that, as a prosthesis, the SoftHand is intended as a human body part, and not as an external tool. To reach its ultimate goals, the hand should become a part of the human user, with his body and mind. The empirical approach and tools of Designers afford the possibility to enrich the re-design process, considering the final user at the centre of the process, in a sort of renewed humanistic approach. The paper reflects this multidisciplinary approach and is structured as follows: the first part describes a cultural framework for the use of high-technology upper limb prostheses. This culture is defined through two significant relations (Users & Society; Users & Device). Inputs come from desk research conducted in different fields, ranging from Social Psychology to Medicine and Rehabilitation area. In this scenario, it is possible to extract design insights applicable to the design brief. The introduction of a robotic prosthetic hand (SoftHand Pro) and a related, single-user case study follow. The aim here is also to illustrate a process where engineering innovations are facilitated by tools from the Design field in the attempt to make the whole process coherently centred on users. Involved are all aspects, from material technology to the covering and finishing of the prosthetic device. The resulting, final prototype of the SoftHand Pro is finally presented.","PeriodicalId":36515,"journal":{"name":"ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction","volume":"10 1","pages":"1 - 24"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2000,"publicationDate":"2023-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3588323","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ROBOTICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This paper discusses how the disciplines of Design and Engineering are jointly addressing disability and somehow affecting its very interpretation. The discussion focuses on high-tech prostheses, where robotic devices substitute human body parts. The application of robotic technologies to prosthetics has a relatively long history. Nevertheless, only in the last decade have we witnessed applications reach the market and become available for a large base of users who were offered prostheses with superior motor and sensory performance. The process of bringing ever more advanced technologies to fruition by prosthetic users is fully ongoing today, with some promising solutions coming from robotics (such as, e.g. AI techniques or soft robotics materials) to be transferred to human use. In this transfer process, technology alone is insufficient to warrant success, and the need for a close collaboration between the Engineering domain and the Design disciplines is apparent. We address this point with specific reference to a case study, i.e. the transformation of an innovative but by-now established technology in the industrial robotics field (the “Pisa/IIT SoftHand”) into a prosthetic hand (the “SoftHand Pro”). Besides obvious technical considerations about size, connections, control, and so on, which can be addressed with a thorough technical revision of the design, what makes the profound difference between the two devices is that, as a prosthesis, the SoftHand is intended as a human body part, and not as an external tool. To reach its ultimate goals, the hand should become a part of the human user, with his body and mind. The empirical approach and tools of Designers afford the possibility to enrich the re-design process, considering the final user at the centre of the process, in a sort of renewed humanistic approach. The paper reflects this multidisciplinary approach and is structured as follows: the first part describes a cultural framework for the use of high-technology upper limb prostheses. This culture is defined through two significant relations (Users & Society; Users & Device). Inputs come from desk research conducted in different fields, ranging from Social Psychology to Medicine and Rehabilitation area. In this scenario, it is possible to extract design insights applicable to the design brief. The introduction of a robotic prosthetic hand (SoftHand Pro) and a related, single-user case study follow. The aim here is also to illustrate a process where engineering innovations are facilitated by tools from the Design field in the attempt to make the whole process coherently centred on users. Involved are all aspects, from material technology to the covering and finishing of the prosthetic device. The resulting, final prototype of the SoftHand Pro is finally presented.
期刊介绍:
ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction (THRI) is a prestigious Gold Open Access journal that aspires to lead the field of human-robot interaction as a top-tier, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary publication. The journal prioritizes articles that significantly contribute to the current state of the art, enhance overall knowledge, have a broad appeal, and are accessible to a diverse audience. Submissions are expected to meet a high scholarly standard, and authors are encouraged to ensure their research is well-presented, advancing the understanding of human-robot interaction, adding cutting-edge or general insights to the field, or challenging current perspectives in this research domain.
THRI warmly invites well-crafted paper submissions from a variety of disciplines, encompassing robotics, computer science, engineering, design, and the behavioral and social sciences. The scholarly articles published in THRI may cover a range of topics such as the nature of human interactions with robots and robotic technologies, methods to enhance or enable novel forms of interaction, and the societal or organizational impacts of these interactions. The editorial team is also keen on receiving proposals for special issues that focus on specific technical challenges or that apply human-robot interaction research to further areas like social computing, consumer behavior, health, and education.