Masao SUGI (杉 正夫)

Function electrical stimulation (FES) is recommended as one of the effective methods for rehabilitation of motor function after stroke. There are two forms to deliver electrical stimulation to induce muscle contraction: Bipolar electrode configuration with two electrodes of the same size, and monopolar electrode configuration with a bigger electrode as an indifferent electrode and a smaller one as an active electrode. The purpose of this study is to compare the two kinds of configuration on biceps brachii in terms of induced muscle contraction force and muscle fatigue. In the experiment, electrical stimulation was applied on biceps brachii muscles of the right arm. Isometric contraction was induced by fixing the elbow joint during the stimulation. The experimental results showed that the induced contraction force was bigger using monopolar electrode configuration with the indifferent electrode on the antagonist muscle, and there was no significant difference in muscle fatigue between the configurations. Monopolar electrode configuration with the indifferent electrode on the antagonist muscle was suggested as the most effective method for FES on biceps brachii.Clinical Relevance- This study establishes an effective electrode configuration for FES on biceps brachii.

Abstract

In recent years, the depletion of natural resources has been severe globally. One of the solutions to this problem is to reuse and recycle materials from end-of-life (EOL) products and reduce waste. In the industrial field, disassembly work is needed to take back parts/materials from the end-of-life assembly products. Furthermore, in the manufacturing industry, there are human resource development or skill transfer issues due to a declining birth rate and an aging population as well as a labor shortage in developed countries. In particular, in Japan, the population aged 65 and overreached 28.8% of the total population in 2019, and the labor shortage has become more serious. To resolve these issues, the digitization of skills through optical motion capture is promoted in this industry, where three-dimensional coordinate data of workers can be accurately measured. Toshiba Corporation has introduced motion capture for achieving more effective guidance and skill transfer at the work site. However, data related to disassembly were not obtained via motion capture. This study measures and analyzes the motion data for disassembly work obtained via optical motion capture. First, the motion data for disassembly work is obtained via optical motion capture. Next, the data obtained is shown graphically and compared by body part. Finally, the results are shown and discussed.