Technology Overview
Higher Sensitivity Tactile-Film System for Wearable Orthosis.
Essential tremor is often seen in upper limbs, especially when the patient tries to pick up objects. The number of patients with essential tremor accounts for 3.7% of the world’s population, eight times higher than the number of people with Parkinson’s disease. Treatment for essential tremor relies mainly on medication, with a very limited range of relevant orthoses available. ITRI’s Higher Sensitivity Tactile-Film System for Wearable Orthosis (HSTS) provides effective suppression of hand tremor, allowing patients to pick up and put down objects so that they can perform basic activities in everyday life.
Applications & Benefits
The tactile film can detect changes in the wearer’s muscle activity, posture, and movement even through clothing, making it suitable for future applications in geriatric healthcare and rehabilitation, such as robotic exoskeletons, assistive devices, and collaborative and service robot systems. The technology was developed through cooperation among ITRI, Waseda University, and Kikuchi Seisakusho Co., Ltd. The achievement was recognized with a 2015 R&D 100 Award.