Rapp J, Sandurkov B, Müller P, Jung N H, Gleich B
Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE), Technische Universität München, Garching 85748, Germany.
Department of Pediatrics, Technical University Munich, Kinderzentrum München gemeinnützige GmbH, Heiglhofstrasse 65, Munich 81377, Germany.
HardwareX. 2024 Apr 6;18:e00522. doi: 10.1016/j.ohx.2024.e00522. eCollection 2024 Jun.
Behavioral studies contribute largely to a broader understanding of human brain mechanisms and the process of learning and memory. An established method to quantify motor learning is the analysis of thumb activity. In combination with brain stimulation, the effect of various treatments on neural plasticity and motor learning can be assessed. So far, the setups for thumb abduction measurements employed consist of bulky amplifiers and digital-to-analog devices to record the data. We developed a compact hardware setup to measure acceleration data which can be integrated into a wearable, including a sensor board and a microcontroller board which can be connected to a PC via USB. Additionally, we provide two software packages including graphical user interfaces, one to communicate with the hardware and one to evaluate and process the data. This work demonstrates the construction and application of our setup at the example of thumb acceleration measurement with a custom made glove and its use for research. Using integrated circuits, the size of the measurement devices is reduced to this wearable. It is simple to construct and can be operated easily by non-technical staff.
行为研究在很大程度上有助于更广泛地理解人类大脑机制以及学习和记忆过程。一种已确立的量化运动学习的方法是对拇指活动进行分析。结合脑刺激，可以评估各种治疗对神经可塑性和运动学习的影响。到目前为止，用于拇指外展测量的装置由笨重的放大器和数模设备组成以记录数据。我们开发了一种紧凑的硬件装置来测量加速度数据，该装置可以集成到可穿戴设备中，包括一个传感器板和一个可以通过USB连接到PC的微控制器板。此外，我们提供两个包括图形用户界面的软件包，一个用于与硬件通信，另一个用于评估和处理数据。这项工作以定制手套进行拇指加速度测量为例，展示了我们装置的构建和应用及其在研究中的用途。通过使用集成电路，测量设备的尺寸减小到了这种可穿戴设备大小。它易于构建，非技术人员也能轻松操作。
