A workshop of ICRA 2010 URL: http://dove.eng.sunysb.edu/~icraBQL/ - - PDF document

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A workshop of ICRA 2010 URL: http://dove.eng.sunysb.edu/~icraBQL/ Workshop Title: Robotics Research Towards Better Quality of Life

Date and Time: Monday, Afternoon (2:00pm - 5:30pm) Location: ECSH Room 13 Organizers: Professor Imin Kao, SUNY at Stony Brook, NY 11794-2300; Phone: +1-631-632-

1752; Email: imin.kao@sunysb.edu Professor Makoto Kaneko, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan; Email: mk@mech.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp

Abstract of the Workshop:

The research developments in robotics, sensors, and sensing technology have facilitated the development of enabling technologies to provide for better quality of life. As a case in point, the advanced sensing and diagnostic techniques can provide for more accurate measurement of IOP (intraocular eye pressure) for the prognosis of high risk in glaucoma for the diabetics by employing and applying contact surface technology for smart sensing and actuation, as well as enhancing health care through stiffness-based biomedical research with intelligent diagnosis. The objective of this workshop is to provide a forum for the dissemination, discussions, and exchange of research results and innovation towards better quality of life. With the concerns of increasingly large aging populations and healthcare expenses in developed and developing countries, the research topics in this workshop will focus on improving quality of life by bringing about diversified fields techniques which enhance the ability to reliably detect senses and diagnose biomedical and healthcare issues, as well as the prevention of high-risk issues through the applications in the modeling of both contact and non- contact interfaces. The motivation of this workshop is to bring researchers to discuss and exchange innovative technology and modeling of systems and technology towards a better quality of life for our generation and future generation. Both experimental and theoretical studies in advanced sensing and robotic technology for achieving better quality of life will be presented in this workshop. All topics are relevant to the improvement of the quality of our daily lives that include, but not limited to, direct physical contact with intelligent surface technology (e.g., in diabetic medical shoes), non-direct contact with stiffness-based biomedical diagnosis, including diagnosis of tumors in tissues and organs with non-contact sensors, and non-contact air puff tonometry to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the intraocular eye pressure (IOP), benefiting patients with high risk in

• glaucoma. With the concerns of increasingly large aging populations and healthcare expenses

in developed and developing countries, the research topics in this workshop will focus on improving quality of life by bringing about techniques which enhance the ability to reliably diagnose biomedical and healthcare issues, as well as the prevention of high-risk issues through the applications in the modeling of both contact and non-contact interfaces.

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Speakers:

• Dr. Imin Kao, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, SUNY at Stony Brook, U.S.A.

(imin.kao@sunysb.edu) Co-Organizer Title: “Modeling of viscoelastic properties of contact interface and bio-inspired tactile sensing” Abstract: Many biomedical and soft materials are intrinsically viscoelastic which exhibit time- dependent responses, such as relaxation and creep, in addition to elastic response. Both the elastic and temporal responses of viscoelastic materials have profound impacts on the environment with which the viscoelastic contact interacts. In this talk, the modeling of viscoelastic contact interface will be presented with applications in various areas which contribute to better quality of life (BQL). The modeling of a bio- inspired somatosensor tactile will be presented to explore the “touch” senses based

• n the viscoelastic nature of anthropomorphic soft materials to mimic the tactile

capability of a human.

• Dr. Sunil K. Agrawal, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware,

Newark, DE 19716 (agrawal@udel.edu) Title: “Robotic Exoskeletons for Gait Assistance and Training of the Motor Impaired” Abstract: Robotics is emerging as a promising tool for training of human functional

• movements. The talk will describe novel designs of lower extremity exoskeletons,

intended for gait assistance and training of motor-impaired patients. The exoskeletons have undergone tests on healthy and chronic stroke survivors to assess their potential. GBO is a Gravity Balancing un-motorized Orthosis which can alter the gravity acting at the hip and knee joints during swing. ALEX is an Actively driven Leg Exoskeleton which can modulate the foot trajectory using motors at the

• joints. This research is supported by NIH through a BRP program.
• Dr. Takashi Maeno, Professor, Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio

University (maeno@sdm.keio.ac.jp) Title: “Tactile Sensor Detecting Softness, Roughness and Friction Inspired by Human's Perception” Abstract: First, human’s perception mechanism of tactile information is analyzed using finite element analysis and factor analysis. As a result, factors representing tactile sense are obtained. They are named rough factor, uneven factor, slippery factor and coldness factor. Then a tactile sensor imitating structure and human's perception mechanism is designed. The sensor has an elastic layered structure supported by a rigid part and distributed sensors inside the skin similar to human's fingertip. It is confirmed that the sensor can detect roughness, softness and friction similar to human's fingertip. This sensor can be used for fingers of humanoid robots as well as devises for verifying surface texture of industrial products.

• Dr. Hiroyuki Shinoda, Associate Professor, Department of Information Physics and Computing,

The University of Tokyo Japan (shino@alab.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp) Title: “Tactile Interaction Anytime and Anywhere” Abstract: Tactile interaction has a great possibility to support human life. One problem to prevent the utilization of tactile interaction is that we have to wear or hold devices for

• it. Tactile stimulations are often effective when they are given in unintentional

situation for the users. Alerts for dangers and corrections for operations should be given regardless of the user's expectations. Therefore, it is desirable for the users to

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be free from the physical constraints of tactile display devices. In the talk, some strategies to overcome this problem are introduced. The main topic of them is a non- contact tactile display using airborne ultrasound. Radiation pressure by convergent ultrasound beams creates tactile sensations on bare skins. It is even possible to stimulate people moving around in the room. Combining the tactile display with 3D images, we can also realize programmable interfaces with tactile reactions. The basic principle, characteristics, and potential applications will be discussed.

• Dr. Makoto Kaneko, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University,

Japan (mk@mech.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp), Co-Organizer Title: “Direct and Indirect Stiffness Sensing toward Medical Diagnosis” Abstract: Stiffness is an important index for medical diagnosis. As for stiffness sensing, there are two approaches; one is direct approach where a contact probe with an appropriate displacement sensor directly imparts a force to tissue, and the other is indirect approach where the force is given to the tissue indirectly through fluid, such as air or water. While two approaches are not equivalent to each other in terms with stiffness, there are particular cases where they are equivalent. We introduce a couple of approaches of stiffness sensing for diagnosing human body, such as evaluation of eye stiffness, tumor detection, and visualization of skin shock wave.