Engineers at the University of Utah have developed a computer-controlled, motorized hand and arm support that allows doctors, artists, and others to precisely control scalpels, brushes, and tools over a wide area, with less fatigue. The Active Handrest is designed to aid people in performing tasks such as surgery, painting, and electronics repair that require precise control of the fingertips, explains William Provancher, PhD, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. A patent on the device is pending, and Provancher may form a spinoff company to commercialize it or license the technology to companies that produce touch-feedback devices, make robotic surgery equipment, produce art, or refurbish electronics.<\/p>\n
To use the handrest, an individual places his or her wrist on a support that can slide horizontally in any direction, with his or her elbow resting on a support attached to the device. The Active Handrest allows the person to maintain a steady hand while the device senses the position of a hand-grasped tool or the force exerted by the hand — or both. Then, its computer software moves the handrest so it “constantly re-centers the fingertips in the center of their dexterous workspace,” which Provancher describes as “the range over which you can move your fingers and be very precise.” For example, if you place your arm on a desk to write, your hand is able to move the pen about four inches in any direction, but precise writing is practical only within a one-inch wide “dexterous workspace,” he explains. The prototype of the Active Handrest allows users to move their hand precisely within a workspace of about 10 by 10 inches, re-centering their hand as the arm moves to reach a larger area. Future devices could allow for three-dimensional motion and even larger work areas with the same precision, Provancher says.<\/p>\n