Design and Development of a Hand Exoskeleton Robot for Active and Passive Rehabilitation

The present work, which describes the mechatronic design and development of a novel rehabilitation robotic exoskeleton hand, aims to present a solution for neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation. It presents a full range of motion for all hand phalanges and was specifically designed to carry out position and force-position control for passive and active rehabilitation routines. System integration and preliminary clinical tests are also presented

A Piezoelectric Plethysmograph Sensor Based on a Pt Wire Implanted Lead Lanthanum Zirconate Titanate Bulk Ceramic

This work reports on the development of a Lead Lanthanum Zirconate Titanate (PLZT) bulk ferroelectric poled ceramic structure as a Piezoelectric Plethysmograph (PZPG) sensor. The ceramic was implanted during its fabrication with a platinum (Pt) wire which works as an internal electrode. The ceramic was then submitted to an experimental setup in order to validate and determine the Pt-wire mechanical effects. This PZPG sensor was also mounted on a finger splint in order to measure the blood flow that results from the pulsations of blood occurring with each heartbeat. Fingertip pulses were recorded jointly with an ECG signal from a 25 year old male to compare the time shift; the PZPG sensor guarantees the electrical isolation of the patient. The proposed PZPG has several advantages: it can be adjusted for fingertip measurements, but it can easily be extended by means of spare bands, therefore making possible PZPG measurements from different body locations, e.g., forehead, forearm, knee, neck, etc

Diseño y construcción de férula auxiliar en el tratamiento de artritis reumatoide

La artritis reumatoide es una enfermedad crónica, poliarticular, inflamatoria, progresiva, discapacitante, asociada a una baja calidad de vida. Con el conocimiento de las afecciones de esta enfermedad se han desarrollado diversos tipos de terapias para reducir el fenómeno inflamatorio y los procesos degenerativos. Entre las terapias físicas más populares en el tratamiento de esta afección se encuentran la cinesiterapia y la termoterapia, las cuales se aplican por medio de una férula rígida en la mano que es una zona ampliamente afectada por el padecimiento, con esta terapia se pretende ayudar a la terapia de las personas con artritis reumatoide en su etapa temprana

“Diseño y construcción de férula auxiliar en el tratamiento de artritis reumatoide”

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Preparation and Sintering Effect in Quartz-Barium Titanate Porous Ceramics and Permeability Modulation Using an Implanted Electrode

Barium titanate and quartz mixed in different proportions were used to create porous piezoelectric ceramics. Three different sintering temperatures were used for the ceramics preparation; a nichrome wire was used as internal electrode in porous ceramics. Characteristics as porous area, porosity, and its relationship with quartz percentage and sintering temperatures were studied. Porous ceramics with an implanted electrode were created, by applying an alternating voltage in the internal electrode that controlled the liquid permeability coefficient, calculated by the Darcy Law

Implementación De Sensor IMU Para La Asistencia De Nivel En Grúas Todo Terreno

Los inclinómetros son cada vez más importantes en diversos campos, ya que son una herramienta que facilita la nivelación de estructuras, equipos pesados, autos modernos y barcos. En el presente trabajo, se desarrolló un inclinómetro para ser utilizado en grúas todo terreno con el fin de asistir al operador en la nivelación de la grúa. Cabe destacar que la importancia de realizar una correcta nivelación es de vital importancia antes de llevar a cabo cualquier maniobra, ya que es un requisito indispensable de seguridad para evitar algún tipo de volcadura. Mediante el uso de software y herramientas de acceso libre se llevó a cabo este desarrollo, con el fin de disminuir los costos de fabricación del inclinómetro, innovar y satisfacer la necesidad actual.&nbsp

Stereotactic Positioning System: Towards a Mechanism Used in Thermal Ablation Therapy

In microwave thermal ablation, placing the antenna on a specific coordinate is one of the most critical steps. Several stereotactic systems can place an instrument on a specific point with great accuracy. However, these systems are developed for neurosurgery; moreover, a stereotactic system used in microwave thermal ablation must not disturb the electromagnetic (EM) pattern generated by the antenna. A stereotactic positioning system was designed, built, and tested. Different types of materials were proposed to manufacture the proposed stereotactic system to locate the microwave antennas. The stereotactic system can displace the microwave antenna around the Z-axis and Theta-axis. Displacements were generated by stepper motors and controlled by the user through a graphical interface. The system tests consist of programming displacements along the two axes in steps of 5 mm on the Z-axis and 5 degrees on the Theta-axis. Results showed that the system is capable of moving using cylindrical coordinates over a 70 mm displacement with an average error of ±0.85 mm for sensors on the Z-axis, while in the Theta-axis it reaches 180∘ displacement with an error of ±2.64∘. A stereotactic microwave antenna positioning system was developed and preliminarily tested. This first system can already be used to evaluate antenna performance either in phantoms or ex-vivo tissue. Moreover, this system can be extrapolated to different parts of the human body and be adapted to the required dimensions

A PLZT Novel Sensor with Pt Implanted for Biomedical Application: Cardiac Micropulses Detection on Human Skin

Advances in sensors for biomedical applications have been a great motivation. In this research, a PLZT (lead lanthanum zirconate titanate) novel sensor with platinum wire implanted in its longitudinal section was developed through of the synthesis process based on powder technology. The raw materials as lead (PbO), lanthanum (La2O3), zircon (ZrO2), and titanium (TiO2) were used in the formation of the chemical composition (62.8% PbO, 4.5% La2O3, 24.2% ZrO2, and 8.5% TiO2). Then, these powders were submitted to mix-mechanical milling at high energy; cylindrical samples with the implant of the platinum wire were obtained with the load application. Finally, the compacted samples were sintered at 1200°C for 2 hours, then followed by a polarization potential of 1500 V/mm at 60°C to obtain a novel sensor. The density and porosity were evaluated using the Archimedes’ principle, while the mechanical properties such as fracture toughness value and Young’s modulus were determined by indentation and ultrasonic methods, respectively. A microscopic examination was also carried out to investigate the structural properties of the material. The PLZT novel sensor is electronically arranged for monitoring the cardiac pulses through a data acquisition system. The results obtained in this research are analyzed and discussed