Abstract:
Many devices, such as rehabilitation robots, assistive devices, prosthetics, and biomedical tools, are powered by actuators and require sensory feedback for control. Simultaneous sensing and actuation provides the advantages of fewer components, reduced mass, and potentially lower costs. Researchers at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute are developing a novel hydraulic transducer that is axially stiff, and enables uniaxial expansion while the radius remains unchanged. Four of these transducers were incorporated into an elastometer, for measuring the stiffness of the levator ani muscle. The transducers were attached to the head of the elastometer, and were actuated by a syringe pump. By monitoring the internal pressure of the transducers, the passive and active forces acting on the transducers by the levator ani muscle can be quantified.
