From Robotics to Prosthetics: What Design and Engineering Can Do Better Together

IF 4.2 Q2 ROBOTICS
M. Fossati, G. Grioli, M. G. Catalano, A. Bicchi
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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.
从机器人到义肢:设计和工程可以做得更好
本文讨论了设计和工程学科如何共同解决残疾问题,并以某种方式影响其解释。讨论的重点是高科技假肢,即机器人设备代替人体部位。机器人技术在义肢上的应用有着相当长的历史。然而,只有在过去的十年里,我们才见证了应用进入市场,并为大量用户提供了具有优越运动和感觉性能的假肢。如今,假肢用户将更先进的技术付诸实践的过程正在全面进行,一些有前途的解决方案来自机器人技术(例如,人工智能技术或软机器人材料)将被转移到人类使用中。在这个转移过程中,技术本身不足以保证成功,工程领域和设计学科之间密切合作的需求是显而易见的。我们通过具体的案例研究来解决这一点,即将工业机器人领域的创新技术(“Pisa/IIT SoftHand”)转化为假手(“SoftHand Pro”)。除了尺寸、连接、控制等明显的技术考虑之外(这些都可以通过对设计进行彻底的技术修改来解决),这两种设备之间的深刻区别在于,作为一种假肢,SoftHand是作为人体的一部分,而不是作为外部工具。为了达到它的最终目标,手应该成为人类使用者的一部分,与他的身体和思想。设计师的经验方法和工具提供了丰富重新设计过程的可能性,考虑到最终用户在过程的中心,以一种更新的人文主义方法。本文反映了这种多学科的方法,结构如下:第一部分描述了使用高科技上肢假体的文化框架。这种文化是通过两个重要的关系(用户和社会;用户&设备)。输入来自不同领域的桌面研究,从社会心理学到医学和康复领域。在这种情况下,可以提取适用于设计概要的设计见解。介绍了机器人假肢手(SoftHand Pro)和相关的单用户案例研究。这里的目的也是为了说明一个过程,在这个过程中,来自设计领域的工具促进了工程创新,试图使整个过程连贯地以用户为中心。涉及到从材料技术到假肢装置的覆盖和整理的各个方面。最后给出了SoftHand Pro的最终原型。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction
ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction Computer Science-Artificial Intelligence
CiteScore
7.70
自引率
5.90%
发文量
65
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.
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