• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
• /
• v.9 no.8
• /
• pp.592-599
• /
• 2003

As one of the Principal modalities of human sensation, tactile feel is prerequisite for building wide variety of applications such as telemanipulation, virtual reality and medical engineering. A dynamic Braille display device based on a polymer actuator is presented. The actuator, often called artificial muscle actuator has advantageous features over the existing methods in terms of intrinsic softness, ease of fabrication, cost-effectiveness and miniaturization. The principles of actuation with dielectric elastomer is introduced, and necessary considerations on the design of a tactile display device are discussed. The design of the device is described in detail including the fabrication process and driving electronics. Also, preliminary results of experiments are given to evaluate its performance.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
• /
• v.12 no.12
• /
• pp.1191-1196
• /
• 2006

In this work the kinetics of volume changes of fluid spaces associated with infusion of Ringer's solution are analyzed using the body fluid space model. During infusion of Ringer's solution, the human body is assumed to be characterized by the fluid space model into which fluid is fed and from which fluid is left. Various infusion types were tested to accommodate different medical situations. Volunteers were given Ringer's solution and the changes in blood hemoglobin were detected. From the comparison with experimental data, the single- and two-fluid space models were found to represent adequately the kinetics of human volume expansion during infusion of Ringer's solution.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.203-210
• /
• 2019

This paper proposes a hand-controller mechanism for manually controlled endoscopic surgical instruments. A wire-driven mechanism is typically adapted for endoscopic surgical tools because motors cannot be embedded to the joints due to the size limitation. The wire-driven mechanism requires length control of wires that are pulled and released according to the desired joint angle. It is difficult for the operator to control individual wire lengths intuitively. The hand-controller mechanism should be able to control the wires easily without complex processes. For this purpose, we propose a mechanism that can control the wire lengths with a simple mechanical structure and its optimal design method using genetic algorithm. We show the simulation and experimental results to confirm the proposed mechanism and design methods are useful for the manually controlled endoscopic surgical instrument.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.150-156
• /
• 2019

Haptic systems have been widely used for both virtual reality and augmented reality application including game, entertainment, education and medical sectors. Clothing designers and retailers initiated using AR and VR technologies to help the consumers find style with the perfect fit. Most of the developed augmented reality shopping is implemented by overlapping the image of the clothes on the customer so that he/she can find the fit. However, those are only visual information and the customer cannot experience the real size and the stiffness of the clothes. In this paper, we present the haptic upper garment which provides the haptic feedback to the user using cables. By controlling the length of the cable, the size of the clothes is set and by stiffness control, the compliance of the fabric is implemented. The haptic garment is modeled for precise control and the distributed controller architecture is described. With the haptic upper garment, the user's experience of the virtual clothes is greatly enhanced.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.164-171
• /
• 2021

This paper proposes a continuum mechanism for manually controlled endoscopic surgical instruments. The wire-driven mechanism is typically adapted for endoscopic surgical tools because motors cannot be embedded to the joints due to the size limitation. However, the conventional wire-driven mechanism has inherent problems caused by redundancy, such as deflection and low precision. It does not have operating force and manipulability for surgery. Therefore, a method to increase the force of the continuum mechanism using a multi-wire with simple mechanical structure is proposed. Moreover, for intuitive operation, a hand-controller mechanism that can manipulate the length of the wire without complex process is proposed. Finally, we show that the proposed mechanism and methods are applicable to endoscopic surgical tools through simple experiments.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.389-396
• /
• 2022

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) based sensors are used for various applications owing to advantages such as excellent accuracy and precision, rapid response, and tiny footprint. Traditional applications of QCM-based sensors include biological sensing and thin-film thickness monitoring. Recently, QCMs have been used as functional material for novel physical and chemical detections, and with improved device design. QCM-based sensors are garnering considerable attention in particulate matter sensing and electric nose application. This review covers the challenges and solutions in physical, chemical, and biological sensing applications. First, various physical sensing applications are introduced. Secondly, the toxic gas and chemical detection studies are outlined, focusing on introducing a coating method for uniform sensing film and sensing materials for a minimal damping effect. Lastly, the biological and medical sensing applications, which use the monomolecularly decorating method for biomolecule recognition and a brief description of the overall measuring system, are also discussed.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.403-408
• /
• 2023

In this paper, we introduce the results of the development of a care robot for the safe lifting and transportation of bedridden patients with difficulty moving by themselves, especially, in medical facilities. The purpose of the developed patient transfer robot is to improve the convenience of care givers and enhance the safety and comfort of care recipients by facilitating patient lifting and patient transfer tasks by applying robot technology. In order to implement the lifting function, a hoist was designed and developed, and a sway control and rollover warning system were included in the hoist module as product differentiators. In addition, in terms of implementing the transfer function, an omnidirectional movement mechanism to improve operability in confined spaces and an active safety system to prevent collisions were developed. The function of the developed patient transfer robot was verified through performance evaluation by an authorized testing agency.

• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.58 no.4
• /
• pp.173-178
• /
• 2023

Recently, there has been a significant focus on the development of flexible and stretchable sensors, driven by advancements in electronic devices and the robotics industry. Among these sensors, tactile sensors stand out as the most actively researched, playing a crucial role in facilitating interaction between humans and electronic devices, particularly in robotics and medical applications. This study specifically involves the manufacturing of a capacitive tactile sensor using a relatively straightforward process and sensor structure. Natural rubber and Nitrile butadiene rubber, commonly employed in the rubber industry, were utilized. The dielectric material in the manufactured tactile sensor possesses a porous structure. Notably, the resulting tactile sensor demonstrated excellent sensitivity, approximately 1%/kPa, and exhibited the capability to detect pressures up to 212 kPa.

• International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.70-78
• /
• 2005

This paper presents hybrid control of displacement and force in a Medical Tele-Analyzer by disturbance observer-based controller which is robust to internal and external disturbances; model uncertainty, load, and friction for instances. The developed Medical Tele-Analyzer consists of 2 subsystems; doctor-side subsystem and patient-side subsystem. In the doctor side subsystem, an array of displacement sensor is equipped to detect movement of doctor's hand and fingers. The detected information is transmitted to the patient side to be used in medical analysis. On the other hand, the patient-side subsystem consists of an array of displacement actuators, which is used to follow displacement of doctor's hand and fingers. An array of force sensors is used to detect forces between patient and the equipment. Since displacement control in patient side is coupled with force control in doctor side and vice-versa, design of the controller has to take into account this coupling. Not only using in medical tele-analysis, the proposed system can also be used in any tele-displacement-force controls of industrial processes.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2004.08a
• /
• pp.1880-1884
• /
• 2004

The wavelet packet transform has been applied for QRS detection with squaring, window integration, and impulse filter techniques to cut down the false detection of QRS complex. This real time QRS detection has been performed on Simulink and Matlab. The correct QRS detection rates have reached to 99.75% in the experiment with 15 sets of ECG data from European ST-T database which are kept in Physionet.