Hand and face somatotopy shown using MRI-safe vibrotactile stimulation with a novel Soft Pneumatic Actuator (SPA)-Skin interface

The exact somatotopy of the human facial representation in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) remains debated. One reason that progress has been hampered is due the methodological challenge of how to apply automated vibrotactile stimuli to face areas in a manner that is: 1) reliable despite different curvature depending on the face location; and 2) MR-compatible and free of MR-interference artefacts when applied in the MR head-coil. Here we overcame this challenge by using soft pneumatic actuator (SPA) technology. SPAs are made of a soft silicon material and can be in- or deflated by means of airflow, have a small diameter, and are flexible in structure, enabling good skin contact even on curved body surfaces (as on the face). Here, we aimed to provide a methodological advance by providing automated tactile vibration stimulation inside the head-coil of the MRI. As a sanity check, we first mapped the well-characterised S1 finger layout using this novel device. We found that tactile stimulation of the fingers elicited characteristic somatotopic finger activations in S1, validating the use of our SPA-setup to map somatotopic representations. Ultimately, we used the device to automatically and systematically deliver somatosensory stimulation to different face locations. We found that the forehead representation was least distance from the representation of the hand. Within the face representation, we found that the lip representation is most distant from the forehead representation, with the chin represented in between. Together our results show that, by providing vibrotactile stimulation using the SPA-technology, we are able to reveal clear somatotopic representational patterns.

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Reaction Time for Pediatric Audiometry

Journal of Speech and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.1301.203 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 203-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Isabelle Rapin ◽

Peter Steinherz

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Face Validity ◽

Deaf Children ◽

Substantial Part ◽

Somatosensory Stimulation ◽

Central Processing ◽

Rapid Responses ◽

The Face ◽

School For The Deaf

A substantial part of reaction time (RT), the time elapsed between presentation of a stimulus and the subject’s response, reflects a central delay during which the brain processes the input and elaborates a response. Low stimulus intensity, inefficient central processing, and lack of motivation are among factors which prolong RT. RT was readily measured in 34 children, age 5½ and older, attending a school for the deaf. Rapid responses to light and light plus sound, and all responses to sound alone were rewarded. Four of twelve children initially unresponsive to sound learned to respond. When sound was attenuated, plots of RT gave information on the efficiency of responses to suprathreshold stimuli and warned that threshold was approaching 5–10 dB before it was reached. Such curves would increase the face validity of clinical audiometric threshold estimates. In severely deaf children, somatosensory stimulation by 500-Hz tones yielded RT curves and thresholds which were very similar to those obtained with aural presentation of the sound, casting doubt on the auditory origin of residual hearing in the low frequency range. Somatosensory stimulation by 1000- and 2000-Hz tones was rare.

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Roof Weakening of Hydraulic Fracturing for Control of Hanging Roof in the Face End of High Gassy Coal Longwall Mining: A Case Study

Archives of Mining Sciences ◽

10.1515/amsc-2016-0043 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

pp. 601-615 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Bingxiang Huang ◽

Youzhuang Wang

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Hydraulic Fracturing ◽

Longwall Mining ◽

Roof Rock ◽

Water Pressure ◽

Small Diameter ◽

Mining District ◽

Drilling Depth ◽

Hard Roof ◽

The Face

Abstract The occurence of hanging roof commonly arises in the face end of longwall coal mining under hard roof conditions. The sudden break and subsequent caving of a hanging roof could result in the extrusion of gas in the gob to the face, causing gas concentrations to rise sharply and to increase to over a safety-limited value. A series of linear fracturing-holes of 32 mm diameter were drilled into the roof of the entries with an anchor rig. According to the theory that the gob should be fully filled with the fragmentized falling roof rock, the drilling depth is determined as being 3~5 times the mining height if the broken expansion coefficient takes an empirical value. Considering the general extension range of cracks and the supporting form of the entryway, the spacing distance between two drilling holes is determined as being 1~2 times the crack’s range of extension. Using a mounting pipe, a high pressure resistant sealing device of a small diameter-size was sent to the designated location for the high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of the roof rock. The hydraulic fracturing created the main hydro-fracturing crack and airfoil branch cracks in the interior of the roof-rock, transforming the roof structure and weakening the strength of the roof to form a weak plane which accelerated roof caving, and eventually induced the full caving in of the roof in time with the help of ground pressure. For holes deeper than 4 m, retreating hydraulic fracturing could ensure the uniformity of crack extension. Tested and applied at several mines in Shengdong Mining District, the highest ruptured water pressure was found to be 55 MPa, and the hanging roof at the face end was reduced in length from 12 m to less than 1~2 m. This technology has eliminated the risk of the extrusion of gas which has accumulated in the gob.

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Face salient points and eyes tracking for robust drowsiness detection

Robotica ◽

10.1017/s0263574711000749 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 731-741 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

J. Jimenez-Pinto ◽

M. Torres-Torriti

Keyword(s):

Motion Analysis ◽

Traffic Accidents ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Time Interval ◽

Head Tracking ◽

Facial Cues ◽

Salient Points ◽

Face Location ◽

The Face ◽

Wavelength Filter

SUMMARYMeasuring a driver's level of attention and drowsiness is fundamental to reducing the number of traffic accidents that often involve bus and truck drivers, who must work for long periods of time under monotonous road conditions. Determining a driver's state of alert in a noninvasive way can be achieved using computer vision techniques. However, two main difficulties must be solved in order to measure drowsiness in a robust way: first, detecting the driver's face location despite variations in pose or illumination; secondly, recognizing the driver's facial cues, such as blinks, yawns, and eyebrow rising. To overcome these challenges, our approach combines the well-known Viola–Jones face detector with the motion analysis of Shi–Tomasi salient features within the face. The location of the eyes and blinking is important to refine the tracking of the driver's head and compute the so-called PERCLOS, which is the percentage of time the eyes are closed over a given time interval. The latter cue is essential for noninvasive driver's alert state estimation as it has a high correlation with drowsiness. To further improve the location of the eyes under different conditions of illumination, the proposed method takes advantage of the high reflectivity of the retina to near infrared illumination employing a camera with an 850 nm wavelength filter. The paper shows that motion analysis of the salient points, in particular cluster mass centers and spatial distributions, yields better head tracking results compared to the state-of-the-art and provides measures of the driver's alert state.

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Hot or not? Thermal reactions to social contact

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2012.0338 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 864-867 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Amanda C. Hahn ◽

Ross D. Whitehead ◽

Marion Albrecht ◽

Carmen E. Lefevre ◽

David I. Perrett

Keyword(s):

Skin Temperature ◽

Social Contact ◽

Facial Skin ◽

Temperature Changes ◽

Thermal Reactions ◽

Skin Contact ◽

The Face ◽

Opposite Sex ◽

Body Temperature Increase ◽

Skin Temperatures

Previous studies using thermal imaging have suggested that face and body temperature increase during periods of sexual arousal. Additionally, facial skin temperature changes are associated with other forms of emotional arousal, including fear and stress. This study investigated whether interpersonal social contact can elicit facial temperature changes. Study 1: infrared images were taken during a standardized interaction with a same- and opposite-sex experimenter using skin contact in a number of potentially high–intimate (face and chest) and low–intimate (arm and palm) locations. Facial skin temperatures significantly increased from baseline during the face and chest contact, and these temperature shifts were larger when contact was made by an opposite-sex experimenter. Study 2: the topography of facial temperature change was investigated in five regions: forehead, periorbital, nose, mouth and cheeks. Increased temperature in the periorbital, nose and mouth regions predicted overall facial temperature shifts to social contact. Our findings demonstrate skin temperature changes are a sensitive index of arousal during interpersonal interactions.

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Use of Automatic Target Recognition System for the Displacement Measurements in a Small Diameter Tunnel Ahead of the Face of the Motorway Tunnel During Excavation

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s8128139 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 8139-8155 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jure Klopčič ◽

Tomaž Ambrožič ◽

Aleš Marjetič ◽

Sonja Bogatin ◽

Boštjan Pulko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Target Recognition ◽

Small Diameter ◽

Recognition System ◽

Automatic Target Recognition ◽

The Face ◽

Displacement Measurements

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Electroacupuncture-Induced Plasticity between Different Representations in Human Motor Cortex

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2020/8856868 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Weiqin Peng ◽

Tiange Yang ◽

Jiawei Yuan ◽

Jianpeng Huang ◽

Jianhua Liu

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Cortical Plasticity ◽

Body Part ◽

Cortical Function ◽

Somatosensory Stimulation ◽

Human Motor Cortex ◽

Face Representation ◽

Before And After ◽

The Face

Somatosensory stimulation can effectively induce plasticity in the motor cortex representation of the stimulated body part. Specific interactions have been reported between different representations within the primary motor cortex. However, studies evaluating somatosensory stimulation-induced plasticity between different representations within the primary motor cortex are sparse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of somatosensory stimulation on the modulation of plasticity between different representations within the primary motor cortex. Twelve healthy volunteers received both electroacupuncture (EA) and sham EA at the TE5 acupoint (located on the forearm). Plasticity changes in different representations, including the map volume, map area, and centre of gravity (COG) were evaluated by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before and after the intervention. EA significantly increased the map volume of the forearm and hand representations compared to those of sham EA and significantly reduced the map volume of the face representation compared to that before EA. No significant change was found in the map volume of the upper arm and leg representations after EA, and likewise, no significant changes in map area and COG were observed. These results suggest that EA functions as a form of somatosensory stimulation to effectively induce plasticity between different representations within the primary motor cortex, which may be related to the extensive horizontal intrinsic connectivity between different representations. The cortical plasticity induced by somatosensory stimulation might be purposefully used to modulate human cortical function.

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Temporary-tattoo for long-term high fidelity biopotential recordings

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep25727 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Lilach Bareket ◽

Lilah Inzelberg ◽

David Rand ◽

Moshe David-Pur ◽

David Rabinovich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Muscle Activation ◽

Reduction Factor ◽

Electrode Impedance ◽

Post Injury ◽

Injury Rehabilitation ◽

Skin Contact ◽

Electrode Capacitance ◽

The Face ◽

Invasive Method

Abstract Electromyography is a non-invasive method widely used to map muscle activation. For decades, it was commonly accepted that dry metallic electrodes establish poor electrode-skin contact, making them impractical for skin electromyography applications. Gelled electrodes are therefore the standard in electromyography with their use confined, almost entirely, to laboratory settings. Here we present novel dry electrodes, exhibiting outstanding electromyography recording along with excellent user comfort. The electrodes were realized using screen-printing of carbon ink on a soft support. The conformity of the electrodes helps establish direct contact with the skin, making the use of a gel superfluous. Plasma polymerized 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene was used to enhance the impedance of the electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed an increase in electrode capacitance by a factor of up to 100 in wet conditions. Impedance measurements show a reduction factor of 10 in electrode impedance on human skin. The suitability of the electrodes for long-term electromyography recordings from the hand and from the face is demonstrated. The presented electrodes are ideally-suited for many applications, such as brain-machine interfacing, muscle diagnostics, post-injury rehabilitation, and gaming.

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Modeling and Fabrication of a Mobile Inspection Microrobot Driven by a Pneumatic Bellows Actuator for Long Pipes

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics ◽

10.20965/jrm.2006.p0011 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 11-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Manabu Ono ◽

◽

Toshiaki Hamano ◽

Shigeo Kato ◽

Keyword(s):

Vinyl Chloride ◽

Small Diameter ◽

Vacuum Pressure ◽

Pneumatic Actuator ◽

Pneumatic Pressure ◽

Electromagnetic Valve ◽

Inner Diameter

This paper details the modeling and fabrication of an in-pipe mobile inspection microrobot able to move long distances on small diameter pipes using pneumatic and vacuum pressure switched by an electromagnetic valve for driving the microrobot. We propose that the electromagnetic valve be used near the pneumatic actuator to move the distance. A pneumatic pressure of +300kPa and vacuum pressure of -80kPa are supplied to the electromagnetic valve by two air tubes 140m long. The microrobot with four friction rings at both ends of the actuator moves 20m in 15 minutes on vinyl chloride pipe with an inner diameter of 44mm.

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Delivering Clinically on Our Knowledge of Oxytocin and Sensory Stimulation: The Potential of Infant Carrying in Primary Prevention

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Henrik Norholt

Keyword(s):

Sensory Stimulation ◽

Developmental Programming ◽

Social Contexts ◽

Physical Contact ◽

Somatosensory Stimulation ◽

Infant Carrying ◽

Neurological Outcomes ◽

Skin Contact ◽

Healthy Infants ◽

Prevention Potential

Oxytocin (OT) is one of the most intensively researched neuropeptides during the three past decades. In benign social contexts, OT exerts a range of desirable socioemotional, stress-reducing, and immunoregulatory effects in mammals and humans and influences mammalian parenting. Consequentially, research in potential pharmacological applications of OT toward human social deficits/disorders and physical illness has increased substantially. Regrettably, the results from the administration of exogenous OT are still relatively inconclusive. Research in rodent maternal developmental programming has demonstrated the susceptibility of offspring endogenous OT systems to maternal somatosensory stimulation, with consequences for behavioral, epigenetic, cognitive, and neurological outcomes. A translation of this animal research into practically feasible human parenting recommendations has yet to happen, despite the significant prevention potential implied by the maternal developmental programming research. Extended physical contact with full-term healthy infants in the months following birth (infant carrying) might constitute the human equivalent of those specific rodent maternal behaviors, found to positively influence emerging OT systems. Findings from both OT and maternal programming research parallel those found for infants exposed to such extended parental physical contact, whether through skin-to-skin contact or infant carrying. Clinical support of parents to engage in extended physical contact represents a feasible intervention to create optimum conditions for the development of infant OT systems, with potential beneficial long-term health effects.

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Analysis of the Possibilities of Using a Driver’s Brain Activity to Pneumatically Actuate a Secondary Foot Brake Pedal

Actuators ◽

10.3390/act9030049 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 49

Author(s):

Ryszard Dindorf ◽

Piotr Wos

Keyword(s):

Remote Control ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Muscle Tension ◽

Experimental Tests ◽

Pneumatic Actuator ◽

Driving Safety ◽

Brake Pedal ◽

Pressure Force ◽

Emergency Braking ◽

The Face

The study deals with the use of the driver’s brain activity for wireless remote control of the pneumatic actuator exerting pressure on the secondary foot brake pedal. The conducted experimental tests confirm that bioelectrical signals (BES) induced by muscle tension within the head can be used for wireless remote control of a pneumatic actuator to exert a pressure force on a foot brake pedal for disabled drivers during car emergency braking. It has been shown that the BES artefacts generated by muscular tension inside the head (e.g., movement of the face and eyelids, clenching of jaws, and pressing the tongue on the palate) are the easiest to control of the pneumatic systems. The proposed car braking assistance system controlled by the driver’s brain activity can improve the driving safety of disabled people, e.g., by reducing the reaction time of pneumatically assisted emergency braking.

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