Customized Vibration Generator for State of Health Monitoring of Prosthetic Implants and Pseudo-Bionic Machine–Human Feedbacks

Abstract

Modern industrial, household and other equipment include sophisticated power mechanisms and complicated control solutions that require tighter human–machine–human interactions to form the structures known as cyber–physical–human systems. Their significant parts are human–machine command links and machine–human feedbacks. Such systems are found in medicine, e.g., in orthopedics, where they are important for the operation and functional abilities of orthopedic devices—wheelchair, prosthesis, rehabilitation units, etc. The mentioned feedbacks may be implemented based on the haptic perceptions that requires vibration actuators. In orthopedics, such actuators can be used also for diagnostic purposes. This research brings forward the idea of the use of 3D printing in conjunction with high quality permanent magnets. This allows for the achievement of better efficiency, smaller size, and the developing of actuators individually for particular circumstances. The obtained simulation, experimental data, and data about 3D manufacturing generally confirm the above hypothesis. In particular, the stiffness coefficient of the actuator’s membrane and attached mass, which can be changed easily during 3D printing, affects the frequency of maximal power output. Secondly, the 3D manufacturing process is quick, tunable and rather cheap. Finally, an elaboration of the design of the actuator that allows for the real-time modification of stiffness and mass in a program way is planned for future works.