1501 Development of a Sensor for Medicalwelfare

This paper is a study on the development of active haptic sensor systems for medicalwelfare. The operational performances of two sensor systems are investigated. The polyvinydene fluoride (PVDF) film, which is a kind of piezoelectric materials, is used as the sensory receptor. One is the palpation sensor for discrimination of prostatic cancer and hypertrophy. The sensor is effective to measure the softness of the object. The problems of the operational performance are clarified through a clinical test. The other is a tactile sensor for reading Braille. The operational performance tests were carried out by normal healthy and visually handicapped subjects. The problems of the sensor's properties are clarified. The sensors will be improved based on the finding for practical applications.