基于似人特性的机器人拟人臂自主抓取动作规划

针对拟型服务机器人在家庭环境中的自主抓取任务,提出了一种强调运动姿态似人特性的机器人手臂动作的运动规划方法.该方法基于人体工程学中的快速上肢评估准则评价机器人运动姿态的似人特性,并在此基础上以机器人传速速率最优为目标规划机器人持物动作的姿态构型.最后以Motoman SDA10D拟人双臂机器人为例,具体介绍了该方法的应用和规划的结果,规划结果证明了该方法的可行性和有效性.     

Downscaling of the flood discharge in a probabilistic framework

Many modeled and observed data are in coarse resolution, which are required to be downscaled. This study develops a probabilistic method to downscale 3-hourly runoff to hourly resolution. Hourly data recorded at the Poldokhtar Stream gauge (Karkheh River basin, Iran) during flood events (2009–2019) are divided into two groups including calibration and validation. Statistical tests including Chi-Square and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test indicate that the Burr distribution is proper distribution functions for rising and falling limbs of the floods’ hydrograph in calibration (2009–2013). A conditional ascending/descending random sampling from the constructed distributions on rising/falling limb is applied to produce hourly runoff. The hourly-downscaled runoff is rescaled based on observation to adjust mean three-hourly data. To evaluate the efficiency of the developed method, statistical measures including root mean square error, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and correlation are used to assess the performance of the downscaling method not only in calibration but also in validation (2014–2019). Results show that the hourly downscaled runoff is in close agreement with observations in both calibration and validation periods. In addition, cumulative distribution functions of the downscaled runoff closely follow the observed ones in rising and falling limb in two periods. Although the performance of many statistical downscaling methods decreases in extreme values, the developed model performs well at different quantiles (less and more frequent values). This developed method that can properly downscale other hydroclimatological variables at any time and location is useful to provide high-resolution inputs to drive other models. Furthermore, high-resolution data are required for valid and reliable analysis, risk assessment, and management plans.     

少自由度并联机床的构型设计

文章论述了并联机床各分支链的运动约束对运动平台自由度的影响,提出了主动链和约束链的概念.在此基础上讨论了如何根据并联机床的自由度要求,确定约束链机构和各主动链运动副型式的问题.并结合几种实际并联机床构型,验证了该设计模型的正确性.     

Supporting the creative drive: investigating paralinguistic voice as a mode of interaction for artists with upper limb disabilities

For people with upper limb disabilities visual art is an important activity that allows for expression of individuality and independence. They show remarkable endurance, patience and determination to adapt their remaining capabilities to create visual art. There are significant advantages of digital technologies in assisting artists with upper limb disabilities. Paralinguistic voice recognition technologies have proven to be a particularly promising mode of interaction. Despite these benefits, technological support for people with upper limb disabilities to create visual art is scarce. This paper reports on a number of case studies of several artists with upper limb disabilities. These case studies illustrate the struggles they face to be creative and also show the significant advantages of digital technologies in assisting such artists. An investigation into people’s ability to use the volume of their voice to control cursor movement to create drawings on the screen is also reported. With motivation, training and practise, use of volume to control drawing tasks shows great promise. It is believed that paralinguistic voice has wider implications beyond assisting artists with upper limb disabilities, such as: an alternative mode of interaction for disabled people to perform tasks other than creating visual art, alternative mode of interaction for hands busy environments and as a voice training system for people with speech impairments.     

A medical hand tool physical interaction evaluation approach for prototype testing using patient care simulators

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a physical ergonomics assessment approach for medical device handles. The method assesses wrist posture and force of exertion simultaneously by task element. Electrogoniometers and EMG sensors were connected through a data acquisition module for synchronization with video recordings of trials. Task analysis of video recordings were performed offline with Observer XT software. Average posture and force data across several repetitions of individual task elements were calculated and presented in a format suitable for informing product designers of specific issues during a test trial. A handle comfort questionnaire is proposed to survey subjective responses. The evaluation approach was applied to an endoscope needle in sampling a biopsy from the stomach wall using a gastrointestinal track simulator with ten physician surrogates. The results showed that for all task elements the wrist was in extension (33(°)-45(°)). Peak muscle forces ranged from 28% to 68% MVC across the three muscles studied. Muscle peak forces were above ACGIH HAL maximum threshold limits for four of the seven task elements, and above the action limit for all seven task elements for two muscles. The handle comfort questionnaire data also supported the high muscle force findings, and also on force distribution on the handle due to contact stresses. This combined approach could be used to collect and report detailed early stage ergonomics data from user trials on patient care simulators. The approach is proposed for use by medical device designers at the design stage of new products using prototypes, but it could also be used on existing products with real patients.     

Decrease of force capabilities as an index of upper limb fatigue

The aim of the study was to assess upper limb fatigue on the basis of the force change index (FCI), which expresses changes in developed force, and to demonstrate that this index differentiates muscle fatigue of the upper limb depending on external load. The study was performed on ten young men in 12 conditions of external load. Ten conditions characterized repetitive work in a two-period cycle, in which both or one of the periods were loaded, and two conditions characterized continuous work with constant load. The participants tried to maintain hand-grip force at an imposed level during a determined time in the standard upper limb posture. Changes in values of recorded force exerted during successive cycles were approximated by a regression function. In most cases there was a strong correlation between the measurement data and the logarithmic regression curve. However, several cases of lower external load showed absence of such correlation. In 75% of the cases, there were statistically significant differences between the values of FCI calculated for individual conditions of external load. That means that FCI not only expresses muscle fatigue quantitatively but also points to the differences in upper limb fatigue resulting from differences in the external load. The study results have shown that the developed index (FCI) can be applied for fatigue assessment and discrimination with a more sophisticated model of a repetitive task than just a simple two-period work and rest model.     

人体上肢运动对服装袖型松量设计的影响分析

为了解决服装袖型松量设计与人体上肢运动关系的问题,结合人体上肢的形态结构及几种常规运动,重点测量了7种人体上肢运动状态下的人体上肢各个部位的尺寸变化,结合衣袖结构设计的相关理论,对人体上肢尺寸变化情况的数据进行了分析,得出了与各种上肢运动状态对应的袖型松量设计的基本要求,进而分析了人体上肢运动对服装袖型松量设计的影响.     

基于神经网络的智能下肢假肢自适应控制

下肢假肢的膝关节是一种具有高度非线性、时变、强耦合的阻尼系统,传统控制方法很难达到良好控制效果.针对这一问题,提出将神经网络(NN)应用于下肢假肢控制.以学习矢量量化(LVQ)神经网络为基础,提出神经网络模型参考自适应控制方法.该方法通过选择适当的参考模型和自适应算法,利用参考模型输出与实际系统输出之间的误差信号,由自适应算法计算当前的控制量以控制智能下肢假肢,达到自适应控制的目的.该方法不需要进行性能指标的变换,容易实现且自适应速度快,仿真结果表明了该方法的有效性.     

A field comparison of neck and shoulder postures in symptomatic and asymptomatic office workers

Poor neck and shoulder postures have been suggested to be a cause of neck and shoulder pain in computer workers. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the head, neck and shoulder postures of office workers with and without symptoms in these regions, in their actual work environments. The two all female subject groups reported significantly different discomfort scores across five trials repeated in a single working day. The results of repeated video capture and two-dimensional motion analysis showed that there were trends for increased head tilt and neck flexion postures in the symptomatic subjects (n = 8), compared to the asymptomatic subjects (n = 8). Symptomatic subjects also tended to have more protracted acromions compared with asymptomatic subjects and showed greater movement excursions in the head segment and the acromion. All subjects demonstrated an approximately 10% increase in forward head posture from their relaxed sitting postures when working with the computer display, but there were no significant changes in posture as a result of time-at-work.     

基于CATIA的可穿戴下肢康复外骨骼人类工效学研究

为改进和完善偏瘫患者处于穿戴下肢康复外骨骼期间的人机耦合舒适性,运用CATIA(computer aided three-dimensional interactive application)人类工效学模块对偏瘫患者的运动形态进行虚拟仿真,将外骨骼设备作为研究方向,着重进行整机系统中人、机关系的剖析,在此基础上应用人类工效学理论对康复外骨骼设备作出人机工学设计、人机校定和评估。经过仿真分析及人机评估系统的研究表明,应用该设计方法使下肢康复外骨骼的空间适配和人机系统更好地达到偏瘫患者舒适度需求的要求。