Abstract
In this paper, a novel wearable sensor to estimate the force applied at fingertip is developed. To perform rehabilitation of fingers effectively, it is important to measure finger force of patients without inhibiting grip sensation. Therefore, we focused on the relationship between tension of tendon and fingertip force, and proposed a ring type sensor to estimate the fingertip force from tension of tendon. First, the ring type sensor is fabricated. And we investigate the relationship between sensor output and fingertip force by experiments. From the results, it was found that the sensor output is related to the fingertip force. And we obtained a relational expression to calculate fingertip force from sensor output. Next, estimation experiment of fingertip force was conducted. It was confirmed that the developed sensor system is available to estimate the fingertip force without placing the sensor on the fingertip.
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