178 results about "Postural control" patented technology

A system and method for control of video bandwidth based on the pose of a person. In one embodiment, a plurality of video streams is obtained that are representative of images at a first location. The video streams are communicated from the first location to a second location. A pose of the head of a person is determined wherein the person is at one of the first location and the second location. The images at the second location are displayed, wherein bandwidth for communication of the video streams is allocated among the video streams based on the pose of the head of the person.

Systems and methods are disclosed for haptics-enabled teleoperation of vehicles and other devices, including remotely-controlled air, water, and land-based vehicles, manufacturing robots, and other suitable teleoperable devices. In one embodiment, a system for teleoperation of a vehicle comprises a control component configured to provide position and orientation control with haptic force feedback of the vehicle based on a position measurement of the vehicle and configured to function in a closed-loop feedback manner. In a particular embodiment, the position measurement may include six degree-of-freedom position data provided by a motion capture system to the control and / or haptic I / O components of the application. The system may also use differences in position and / or velocity between the vehicle and a haptic I / O device for feedback control.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a robot-assisted ultrasound system includes a first ultrasound probe, a robot comprising a manipulator arm having a tool end, and a second ultrasound probe attached to the tool end of the manipulator arm. The robot-assisted ultrasound system further includes a robot control system configured to control at least one of a position or a pose of the second ultrasound probe based on a contemporaneous position and pose of the first ultrasound probe, and an ultrasound processing and display system configured to communicate with at least one of the first and second ultrasound probes to receive and display an ultrasound image based on the first and second ultrasound probes acting in conjunction with each other.

A hands-free, heads up and discrete system and method for controlling a peripheral device using foot gestures is provided. The system includes a foot-based sensory device that includes one or more sensors, such as pressure sensors, gyroscopes, and accelerometers, that receive sensory information from a user's foot, interpret the information as being linked to specific commands, and transmit the commands to at least one display device for controlling the display device. The system also includes a feedback system for providing tactile, visual and / or auditory feedback to the user based on the actions performed, information provided by the display device and / or information provided from another user.

A method and system for gestural control of a vehicle system including tracking a motion path of a grasp hand posture upon detecting an initiation dynamic hand gesture in a spatial location associated with the motorized vehicle system, wherein the initiation dynamic hand gesture is a sequence from a first open hand posture to the grasp hand posture, controlling a feature of the vehicle system based on the motion path and terminating control of the feature upon detecting a termination dynamic hand gesture, wherein the termination dynamic hand gesture is a sequence from the grasp hand posture to a second open hand posture.

Methods of enabling locomotor control, postural control, voluntary control of body movements (e.g., in non-weight bearing conditions), and / or autonomic functions in a human subject having spinal cord injury, brain injury, or neurological neuromotor disease. In certain embodiments, the methods involve stimulating the spinal cord of the subject using an epidurally placed electrode array, subjecting the subject to physical training thereby generating proprioceptive and / or supraspinal signals, and optionally administering pharmacological agents to the subject. The combination of stimulation, physical training, and optional pharmacological agents modulate in real time electrophysiological properties of spinal circuits in the subject so they are activated by supraspinal information and / or proprioceptive information derived from the region of the subject where locomotor activity is to be facilitated.

An insertion device is used to deform a deformable intraocular lens to a reduced size and insert the deformed lens into an eye through an insertion tube. The insertion device includes a push rod for pushing and inserting the lens into the eye, and a posture control member disengagably engaged with a tip end portion of the push rod. The posture control member prevents deflection of the push rod from a center axis. The engagement between the posture control member and the push rod is broken when the push rod arrives at a predetermined position during a step of advancing the push rod.

In a posture control system of a mobile robot, when unexpected external force acts, it is configured to control to stabilize the posture of the robot driving the arm link such that, in response to a first external force that is a component in a predetermined direction of the unexpected external force, a second external force acts on the arm link in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. With this, when the mobile robot is controlled to work that is likely to receive a reaction force from the object, even if the posture becomes unstable or the robot receives the unexpected reaction force acting from the object, it becomes possible to preserve the dynamic balance and to maintain a stable posture.

An inverted two-wheel guided vehicle is provided with a vehicle body 4 including a loading platform, a carriage 5 supported on wheels 1a, 1b, a moving mechanism 7 for displacing relative positions of the vehicle body 4 and the carriage 5, an inclination sensor 6 for detecting the posture of the vehicle body 4, and a controller 9 for controllably driving the wheels 1a, 1b and the moving mechanism 7. Since a posture control can be executed such that a seat 8 atop the vehicle body 4 is constantly horizontal by displacing the moving mechanism forward and backward even for a slope or a step in a travel path, a stable travel can be realized by preventing the collapse of baggage piles and giving no discomfort to a loaded person.

A housing of a game controller is capable of being held with one hand of a player. A direction instruction section is provided in the housing for performing a direction instruction input. Movement detection means is means for detecting movement of the housing. Movement direction control means of a game apparatus is means for determining a movement direction of an object, which appears in a virtual game world, in accordance with an operation of the direction instruction section. Posture control means is means for determining a posture of the object in the virtual game world in accordance with detection by the movement detection means.

System (100) and methods (500) for remotely controlling a slave device (102). The methods involve: using a Hybrid Hand Controller (“HHC”) as a full haptic controller to control the slave device when the HHC (406) is coupled to a docking station (460); detecting when the HHC is or is being physically de-coupled from the docking station; automatically and seamlessly transitioning an operational mode of at least the HHC from a full haptic control mode to a gestural control mode, in response to a detection that the HHC is or is being de-coupled from the docking station; and using at least the HHC as a portable gestural controller to control the slave device when the HHC is de-coupled from the docking station.

An apparatus and method provide logic for providing gestural control. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a first spatial position associated with a first portion of a human body, and a second spatial position associated with a second portion of the human body. An identification unit is configured to identify a group of objects based on at least the first spatial position, and a selection unit is configured to select an object of the identified group based on the second spatial position.

The present invention provides a standing mobility and / or transfer device for handicapped users including an articulating foot platform system effective to move a foot platform between a rearwardly tilted user-receiving condition located close to the floor and an elevated, forwardly tilted condition for user transport at a standing-prone angle. Bilateral lift arms move in concert with the raising and lowering function of the foot platform to elevate the person to a standing-prone position from a seated position. In a raised position, the lift arms are located alongside a user to provide additional posture control. Optional motors associated with one or more wheels of the device may be controlled by the user with a joystick for self-propelled standing mobility.

An adjustable sacral and spinal support assembly is provided that can be used in a variety of seat types. The support assembly includes both a sacral support section and in some situations, one or more complementary spinal support sections located in other areas of the seats. The sacral support section is adapted to support the sacrum of a seated user. A method is also provided for delivering primary support to a user's sacrum and sacral-pelvic anatomy, and in select situations, secondary support to one or more of the remaining regions of the spine and / or adjacent anatomy. The support assembly is designed to produce proper spinal positioning of seated individuals to reduce fatigue, increase comfort, structural balance, stability, and posture control for a seated user. The system also adjusts and controls the load distribution from the sacral anatomy to the spine and other anatomical structures adjacent a user's sacrum, for example, the pelvis, lumbar, thoracic and cervical regions, and includes both automatic and manual adjustment systems.

A control apparatus for a vehicle is configured to detect an abnormality of shock absorbers. When an abnormality detection means has detected an abnormality, braking / driving force posture control amount computation means computes an amount of braking / driving force posture control controlled by means of braking / driving force of the vehicle on the basis of target posture control amount.

A sacral support assembly for use with a seat is provided. The seat includes a seat frame. An adjustable sacral support assembly is connected to the seat frame. The sacral support assembly includes a sacral support member adapted to support the sacrum of a seated user even when an obstruction is located between the user and the sacral support assembly. A method is also provided for delivering primary support to a user's sacrum and sacral-pelvic anatomy and secondary support to the remaining regions of the spine and / or adjacent anatomy to reduce fatigue, increase comfort, structural balance, stability, and posture control for a user, and a system for adjusting and controlling the load distribution from the sacral anatomy to the spine and other anatomical structures adjacent to a user's sacrum, for example, the pelvis, lumbar, thoracic and cervical regions.

In a mobile communications terminal 100, there is provided a gestural control application for associated operation with an image viewing application. The gestural control application is configured to receive user gestures inputted through a touch-sensitive display of the apparatus when one or more images is displayed by the image viewing application. The gestural control application is configured to identify a correspondence between a received gesture and one of a plurality of locally-stored reference gestures and to identify selection by means of the inputted gesture of one or more entities in the or each image. By means of this identification and selection, said application is configured to communicate and apply a function associated with the identified reference gesture to an external web site through which is accessed a predetermined social network application, the function being applied in relation to the selected one or more entities.

Provided is a balance training system for improving postural control of a user by providing visual feedback regarding the user's center of mass (CoM) to the user on a display. The balance training system includes a balance improvement module connected to the display, and a first sensor which captures information about a position of the user with respect to a platform of the balance training system on which platform the user is moving and which provides the captured information to the balance improvement module. The balance improvement module is configured to extract CoM information of the user from the captured information, to compare the extracted CoM information with a target area for the user's CoM on the platform, and to provide results of the comparison to the display for displaying the results to the user.

Disclosed is an underwater posture stabilization device that, when attached to various underwater machines, such as undersea machines and underwater vehicles, which have different shapes and centers of gravity according to their purpose, allows their posture in the water (the basic posture) to be set easily and reliably. The device is extremely versatile, and the moment to return it to the original posture is created spontaneously when the posture is inclined due to the effect of tidal currents, pulsating currents or the like, so it has excellent postural stability. In addition, the posture can be changed easily as needed. Furthermore, the posture can be controlled in a stable manner, even in complex tidal currents or pulsating currents, and the reliability, stability and dependability of the postural control are excellent. The device is equipped with: a frame, which is attached to the main body of the underwater machine; a pair of slide parts arranged such that they can freely move forward / backward on either side of the frame; support members, the lower ends of which are affixed to each slide part, arranged facing upward or slanting upward and able to move freely upward / downward; floating bodies arranged at the ends of each support member.

A method for controlling a functional unit of a vehicle involves detecting a gesture of a vehicle passenger and controlling the functional unit depending on the detected gesture, if a first predetermined condition is fulfilled. The first predetermined condition is that a movement sequence of a detected gesture coincides with a predetermined movement pattern that is similar to a movement of a functional unit to be controlled or is analogous to a manipulation of the functional unit to be controlled.

Methods of enabling locomotor control, postural control, voluntary control of body movements (e.g., in non-weight bearing conditions), and / or autonomic functions in a human subject having spinal cord injury, brain injury, or neurological neuromotor disease. In certain embodiments, the methods involve stimulating the spinal cord of the subject using an epidurally placed electrode array, subjecting the subject to physical training thereby generating proprioceptive and / or supraspinal signals, and optionally administering pharmacological agents to the subject. The combination of stimulation, physical training, and optional pharmacological agents modulate in real time electrophysiological properties of spinal circuits in the subject so they are activated by supraspinal information and / or proprioceptive information derived from the region of the subject where locomotor activity is to be facilitated.

An example game system includes a controller device, and a game process section for performing a game process based on an operation on the controller device. The controller device includes a plurality of direction input sections, a sensor section for obtaining a physical quantity used for calculating an attitude of the controller device, and a display section for displaying a game image. The game process section first calculates the attitude of the controller device based on the physical quantity obtained by the sensor section. Then, the game process section controls an attitude of a virtual camera in a virtual space based on the attitude of the controller device, and controls a position of the virtual camera based on an input on the direction input section. A game image to be displayed on the display section is generated based on the position and the attitude of the virtual camera.

A force sense interface includes a tactile finger base having a plurality of tactile fingers, which are capable of tracking motions of the fingers of a hand of an operator, an arm mechanism, which allow spatial motion of the tactile finger base, and a controller, which controls the arm mechanism in accordance with the position and posture of the hand, and controls the tactile fingers in accordance with the movements of the fingers of the operator. The force sense interface further includes finger holders for attaching the tactile fingers on the fingers of the operator in a state where the tactile finger base is distanced from the back of the hand of the operator (H) so as to face the back of the hand.

The invention describes a skeletal control of a three-dimensional virtual world. The virtual skeleton includes a plurality of joints and provides a machine readable representation of a human target observed with a three-dimensional depth camera. A relative position of a hand joint of the virtual skeleton is translated as a gestured control, and a three-dimensional virtual world is controlled responsive to the gestured control.