Digital Signal Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
actuators makes it possible to develop new kind of education and learning systems
conventionally being impossible. In our study, the training for use of tiny forces and
small movement which has hardly been found in conventional training systems was
paid special attention, and a training system for oriental acupuncture was proposed.
Solutions for such problems as the measurement of small operation forces and their
presentation, the training methods, and the construction of such a training
environment were given towards the construction of an idea training system
combining satisfactorily both knowledge learning and skill training.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing method in which stimulations are
applied to the acupoints (defined positions on the human body), leading to an increase
of the inner healing power of the human himself and the recovery of the sickness
[1].
Recently, acupuncture has been paid more attention worldwide, so the Acupuncture of
Chinese Medicine has been registered in the humanity national intangible cultural
heritage list by UNESCO in November 2010. Although the miraculous ancient
Chinese healing method has still some parts not yet being explained scientifically, it is
used with increased worldwide interests, and even an Acupuncture Universities has
been established in Japan
[2].
It is important in acupuncture, similar as most of the oriental medical treatments, to
use fully the human 5 senses, and to become skillful mainly by repeated exercises.
However, there are problems in learning and training for acupuncture, such as the lack
of clarity in the textbook, the difficulties for a judgment of the accuracy when stinging
an acu-point, and so on. Thus, the development of an acupuncture training system
using the advanced computer technology can be of great help.
We have been doing researches on the development of a computer-assisted
acupuncture training system for quite a long time. In this study, we reported an
improvement on such system. A human body acu-point model was created within a
computer, with which the study of recognition of correct 3D acu-point position, and
the sting action on them was done with a true-false judgment. When building up the
system, we paid more attention to the representation, teaching and training of the tiny
operation force applied in the sting action. The teaching of the insertion angle and
insertion speed for a sting operation on an acu-point using a mechanical force
feedback system was proposed
[3]-[8].
As one of the series researches for the training system, this study reported an
improvement on the system by introducing a haptic device PHANTOM. The teaching
of the tiny force adjustment in sting was studied with the system, and the results were
tested by repeated exercises of trainees with real-timely true- false judgments.
2
Learning and Training of Acupuncture
2.1
Point of the Skill Training
Acupuncture therapy is a medical treatment using acupuncture needle or moxibustion
to stimulate the acu-points of body according to the symptoms. An acu-point is the
defined point on the human body, going to receive the needle with proper stimulus.
There are hundreds of such acu-points located on the important positions over the
human body on the meridian. And the meridian is such an imaged flow (you may not
see them) connecting the acu-points to the internal organs. Therefore, it is very
