Week 7

Hello World!

So, last week was quite eye-opening and indicated a shift. Change is good, and in this case, it worked out well, I was able to use the prosthetic and I obtained data!

I realized that I may not have explained it that well, so as a quick summary of the new methodology for what I did, I began with my hand and the prosthetic device. I started out with three objects, a box, a cylinder, a baseball, and a roll of tape, all seen below.

Most everyday objects that one would encounter,
along with a baseball for spring training 

Then Dr. Fu and I attached motion trackers to my hand, one on each finger and one on my palm. Then with a motion tracking software, I used my hand grasped the objects, lifting them up briefly, before placing them back down. This was to see and obtain data as to how I naturally approached the object with my hand. As a test,  I used the hand, and just moved it around with motion sensors to make sure the sensors around me could pick up all of the trackers.

I then had a prosthetic hand attached to me. The Softhand pro device is actually quite heavy, and the one I used also had a silicone, soft rubber cover on it. I used it in this elaborate setup where it was attached to a rig made of pvc pipe and a stand, with the same module that it would use to attach to an amputee. It was then secured to me with some velcro. In the picture below, the hand has the motion trackers taped on, and it is attached to my hand. You can not see it, but there are two surface EMG sensors that are attached to my forearm. The white thing that I am holding onto is not a joystick, it is just something to hold onto, and when I move my wrist, I can manipulate the prosthetic.

Then I used the prosthetic and lifted the objects, and obtained the motion data for the different objects, doing three trials for each object, for both my hand and the prosthetic. 

This was also a valuable experience because I learned how hard it is to use the prosthetic. Sometimes the prosthetic does not register your EMG's so it is just a deadweight dragging down your arm. For me, the biggest problem was picking up things, like I played around with it, making my own small game of jenga with objects around the lab, and it was really hard to use. I think picking up the roll of tape was the most frustrating thing every, because, every time I grabbed for it, it slipped through the palm of the hand. 

Well, so that was the experimentation in my project. I used the prosthetic, and I got some real experience with the short comings of the prosthetic device. I mean, I only spent a couple hours with it, and to imagine Amputees look to their prosthetics with hope, and they use it for the rest of their lives, that is a great feat of strength. Thank you for reading. I have a lot more footage of my trials, but most of that is under wraps because it will go into my final project presentation. Don't forget to leave any comments below and share your thoughts on this week. See you all next week!

Week 6

Hello World!

I am back this week with some ground breaking news! So my project has culminated itself in a very different way now. What I was going to do was get EMG Data from my hand, and analyze the forces in play with simulations. Well there is good news and bad news...

So for my project, I was planing on using EMG's and getting Force data from the simulations, but the social aspect and the analysis of social attitudes seen in various papers are interesting me. With the simulations, it would have taken far too much time, and that would mean I could not get enought data. So that is not going to work out. That was the bad news. 

Now for the good news! So my new methodology is more straight forward than what I was planning to do. For the new experiment, I will be analyzing the same motor function of grasping, but the slight difference comes in the way it will be observed. I will be using the prosthetic and controlling it with my EMG's. The same EMG's I would put into moving my hand, I would use to move the prosthetic, and that would be done using an EMG sensor and a separate program to translate the EMG's to the prosthetic. I hope that makes sense so far. 

Now with three different objects, I would use my EMG's to run the prosthetic and my hand, and grasp the object. With a primary recording of my muscle movement, with a myograph of when I clench my fist, and grasp the objects, I would see if the hand can replicate the movement using the same EMG's.

So this week was essentially my first main trial and error, and it showed me that what I was doing was on a scale unlike the nature of this project. I wanted to do a lot in an amount of time, that I cannot really do. Other than those important developments, I will continue to look through papers, and I will be doing a mid-week update for week 7 about the paper I am currently reading through.

I hope all of that makes sense. I will answer any questions in detail in the comments below and in my mid-week update. Thank you!

Week 5

Hello World!

After a relaxing spring break, I am back to my project! Week 5 just wrapped up, and things are going well. 

The unusually dark hallway to my lab

ASU has it's spring break this week, and going to my site felt kind of like walking through a ghost town. Most of my week was spent going through some papers and getting my program to work. I covered a remarkable amount of ground with my social analysis. I read through a couple different papers in the American Journal of Nursing, that talked about different reactions to prosthetics. Something important that was mentioned in one of the papers,“The Pneumatic Arm Prosthesis" was about how there are three primary problems for an amputee: 1) the difference in daily function, 2) the perception of the way society will now view the amputee, and 3) the patient’s reception of the prosthetic (1993). While considering that this paper was published in 1993, the first problem has mostly been taken care of with newer forms of physical therapy, but the second and third are two of the most important social concerns that I want to further explore.

Kind of related to this was a heartwarming story that I saw on the news. It was a story about how a 4 year old boy with an amputation had been given a doll that had a prosthetic. After he lost his leg from an injury while playing with his dog, the four year-old had been using a temporary prosthetic, and a walker, to get around; but Prosthetists were able to design him a prosthetic to use permanently(CBS). In order to get him used to wearing it and removing it, he was given a doll with a prosthetic, that he could use to learn how to use his own prosthetics. After looking into this, I realized that the manufacturers of such dolls and toys made these to get rid of any resistance that children may have as they adapt to their new lives with their prosthetics. It was something small, but I thought it was a touching way to make sure the kid felt comfortable and was happy as he transitioned to using his new prosthetic. 

My Desk 

Other than that, my program is going well, I got the connection built between the Armband and my computer and was able to record some EMG data, so that was good. Thank you so much for reading this, and if you have any questions, make sure to leave them in the comments below.

The Connection was built!

Sources 
Kessler, Henry H., and Kiessling, Edward
         A.. “The Pneumatic Arm Prosthesis.”          The American Journal of Nursing,                vol. 65, no. 6, 1965, pp. 114–117. 9            Mar. 2017.
http://www.cbs5az.com/story/34711689/valley-boy-comforted-by-doll-with-prosthetic-leg-valley-boy-comforted-by-doll-with-prosthetic-leg 

Week 4: Spring Break

Hello World!

I know, nothing much this week, but I can't wait to get back to work next week! I spent my Spring Break just reading some papers, and relaxing and watching movies. The Oscars were entertaining, and beyond that, I watched what I think is the first presidential thing Trump has done. I liked his address to Congress and I felt it was a move in the right direction. I know that for the sophomores, your spring break is this week, so enjoy your break! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments down below! Thank you