Moving system for a medical simulation dummy hand

Abstract

The Medical Simulation Center (M.S.C) in 'Shiba' hospital, located in the city of Tel Hashomer, utilizes a medical simulation dummy, on which physicians and paramedics can practice giving first-aid, as a simile to a conscious or partly conscious individual.
This dummy can perform a variety of human functions, such as: respiration, pulse, drug reaction and pupils responding to light.
The consciousness examination includes, among other things, speech- testing correct reactions; pupils examination- reaction to movement and light; hand (which is relevant to our study)- examination of involuntary reactions to pain, the ability to indicate the source of pain using their hands and bending the hands or stretching them backwards. Each reaction indicates the status of the head injury.
However, besides the motion of spasm (quaking of the body) that is manifested by trembling the bed on which the dummy is lying on, the dummy lacks motion.
Because of this deficiency, the medical staff practicing at the center are forced to perform possible scenarios of an unconscious patient, or to literally define the patient's state of conscious.
The purpose, as set by Dr. Amir Vardi, the director of the children's intensive care unit at "SHIBA" medical center and responsible for operating the dummy, is that the dummy's hand would serve as a simile to an individual's hand movement.
The goal is that the hand will react to the different examinations of consciousness which are preformed by the medical staff and that it will perform a number of movements typical to an individual's hand reacting to a consciousness examination, when activated by the center's workers at the control room.
I preformed an extensive survey concerning the alternatives currently in the market, in order to achieve the goal. The required geometric data was calculated, such as: capacity, speed, bulk and weight, and also their prices were examined.
Three brushless type engines were chosen to facilitate the project.
They would be located at:
1. The shoulder of the dummy responsible for the raising and lowering of the hand.
2. The part of the arm responsible for the turning the hand around it's axis up to 90 degrees.
3. The part of the arm responsible for the bending of the elbow which enables the lifting of the middle finger.
The engines would be connected to a gamut with transmission systems (gearbox) which are already available in the market and with cog wheels to optimize the movement.