Electromechanical Transducer for Vibrotactile Stimulation

1961 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 856-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond C. Bice
Keyword(s):  
Vibrotactile Stimulation ◽  
Electromechanical Transducer

Effects of Vibrotactile Stimulation for Sustaining Performance in a Vigilance Task: A Pilot Study

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Robert Arrabito ◽  
Geoffrey Ho ◽  
Behzad Aghaei ◽  
Catherine Burns ◽  
Ming Hou
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Vigilance Task ◽  
Vibrotactile Stimulation

scholarly journals The acquisition and generalization of fear of touch

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 809-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma E. Biggs ◽  
Ann Meulders ◽  
Amanda L. Kaas ◽  
Rainer Goebel ◽  
Johan W. S. Vlaeyen
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Stimulus Generalization ◽  
Spontaneous Pain ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Vibrotactile Stimulation ◽  
Differential Acquisition ◽  
New Locations ◽  
Conditioned Responses ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Post Hoc

AbstractObjectivesContemporary fear-avoidance models of chronic pain posit that fear of pain, and overgeneralization of fear to non-threatening stimuli is a potential pathway to chronic pain. While increasing experimental evidence supports this hypothesis, a comprehensive investigation requires testing in multiple modalities due to the diversity of symptomatology among individuals with chronic pain. In the present study we used an established tactile fear conditioning paradigm as an experimental model of allodynia and spontaneous pain fluctuations, to investigate whether stimulus generalization occurs resulting in fear of touch spreading to new locations.MethodsIn our paradigm, innocuous touch is presented either paired (predictable context) or unpaired (unpredictable context) with a painful electrocutaneous stimulus (pain-US). In the predictable context, vibrotactile stimulation to the index or little finger was paired with the pain-US (CS+), whilst stimulation of the other finger was never paired with pain (CS−). In the unpredictable context, vibrotactile stimulation to the index and little fingers of the opposite hand (CS1 and CS2) was unpaired with pain, but pain-USs occurred unpredictable during the intertrial interval. During the subsequent generalization phase, we tested the spreading of conditioned responses (self-reported fear of touch and pain expectancy) to the (middle and ring) fingers between the CS+ and CS−, and between the CS1 and CS2.ResultsDifferential fear acquisition was evident in the predictable context from increased self-reported pain expectancy and self-reported fear for the CS + compared to the CS−. However, expectancy and fear ratings to the novel generalization stimuli (GS+ and GS−) were comparable to the responses elicited by the CS−. Participants reported equal levels of pain expectancy and fear to the CS1 and CS2 in the unpredictable context. However, the acquired fear did not spread in this context either: participants reported less pain expectancy and fear to the GS1 and GS2 than to the CS1 and CS2. As in our previous study, we did not observe differential acquisition in the startle responses.ConclusionsWhilst our findings for the acquisition of fear of touch replicate the results from our previous study (Biggs et al., 2017), there was no evidence of fear generalization. We discuss the limitations of the present study, with a primary focus on procedural issues that were further investigated with post-hoc analyses, concluding that the present results do not show support for the hypothesis that stimulus generalization underlies spreading of fear of touch to new locations, and discuss how this may be the consequence of a context change that prevented transfer of acquisition.

Behavior of a Self-Sustained Electromechanical Transducer and Routes to Chaos

2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Chedjou ◽  
K. Kyamakya ◽  
I. Moussa ◽  
H.-P. Kuchenbecker ◽  
W. Mathis
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Circuit ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Period Doubling ◽  
Electromechanical System ◽  
Phase Portraits ◽  
Coupling Coefficients ◽  
Oscillatory Solutions ◽  
Electromechanical Transducer ◽  
Design Engineers

This paper studies the dynamics of a self-sustained electromechanical transducer. The stability of fixed points in the linear response is examined. Their local bifurcations are investigated and different types of bifurcation likely to occur are found. Conditions for the occurrence of Hopf bifurcations are derived. Harmonic oscillatory solutions are obtained in both nonresonant and resonant cases. Their stability is analyzed in the resonant case. Various bifurcation diagrams associated to the largest one-dimensional (1-D) numerical Lyapunov exponent are obtained, and it is found that chaos can appear suddenly, through period doubling, period adding, or torus breakdown. The extreme sensitivity of the electromechanical system to both initial conditions and tiny variations of the coupling coefficients is also outlined. The experimental study of̱the electromechanical system is carried out. An appropriate electronic circuit (analog simulator) is proposed for the investigation of the dynamical behavior of the electromechanical system. Correspondences are established between the coefficients of the electromechanical system model and the components of the electronic circuit. Harmonic oscillatory solutions and phase portraits are obtained experimentally. One of the most important contributions of this work is to provide a set of reliable analytical expressions (formulas) describing the electromechanical system behavior. These formulas are of great importance for design engineers as they can be used to predict the states of the electromechanical systems and respectively to avoid their destruction. The reliability of the analytical formulas is demonstrated by the very good agreement with the results obtained by both the numeric and the experimental analysis.

scholarly journals Awakening efficacy of a vibrotactile device in patients on home nocturnal ventilatory assistance and healthy subjects as family caregiver proxies

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 147997312098333
Author(s):  
Valerie Attali ◽  
Sophie Lavault ◽  
Antoine Guerder ◽  
Saba Al-Youssef ◽  
Benjamin Dudoignon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Vibrotactile Stimulus ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Vibrotactile Stimulation ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
Random Intervals ◽  
Healthy Family ◽  
Central Hypoventilation ◽  
Hypoventilation Syndrome

The objective of this study was to test the capacity of vibrotactile stimulation transmitted to the wrist bones by a vibrating wristband to awaken healthy individuals and patients requiring home mechanical ventilation during sleep. Healthy subjects (n = 20) and patients with central hypoventilation (CH) (Congenital Central Hypoventilation syndrome n = 7; non-genetic form of CH n = 1) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (n = 9), underwent a full-night polysomnography while wearing the wristband. Vibrotactile alarms were triggered five times during the night at random intervals. Electroencephalographic (EEG), clinical (trunk lift) and cognitive (record the time on a sheet of paper) arousals were recorded. Cognitive arousals were observed for 94% of the alarms in the healthy group and for 66% and 63% of subjects in the CH and COPD groups, respectively (p < 0.01). The percentage of participants experiencing cognitive arousals for all alarms, was 72% for healthy subjects, 37.5% for CH patients and 33% for COPD patients (ns) (94%, 50% and 44% for clinical arousals (p < 0.01) and 100%, 63% and 44% for EEG arousals (p < 0.01)). Device acceptance was good in the majority of cases, with the exception of one CH patient and eight healthy participants. In summary this study shows that a vibrotactile stimulus is effective to induce awakenings in healthy subjects, but is less effective in patients, supporting the notion that a vibrotactile stimulus could be an effective backup to a home mechanical ventilator audio alarm for healthy family caregivers.

Lateral Inhibition: Are two hands better than one?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goutam Gadiraju ◽  
Daniel Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Inhibition ◽  
Slight Variation ◽  
Vibrotactile Stimulation ◽  
Individual Subject ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Bilateral Condition ◽  
Future Experimentation ◽  
Discrimination Capacity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Amplitude Discrimination

This study investigated the differences in amplitude discrimination capacity between two stimuli delivered to adjacent fingertips on the same hand (contralateral delivery) and stimuli delivered to two fingers on opposite hands (bilateral delivery).  The measures were obtained in order to study the impact of lateral inhibition via interhemispheric connections on cortical centers on opposite sides of the somatosensory cortex in comparison to lateral inhibition occurring between adjacent cortical centers within the same hemisphere. Using the Cortical Metrics Brain Gauge™ device, amplitude discrimination capacity of 37 healthy subjects was assessed at several different durations, ranging from 40 to 500 msec, of vibrotactile stimulation delivered contralaterally and bilaterally. The results demonstrate a significant difference in amplitude discrimination capacity between the two conditions for stimulus duration of 200ms, with performance being better for the contralateral delivery of the stimuli than the bilateral condition for most tested durations. Task performance was roughly the same for the two conditions at the extremes of short (40ms) and long (500ms) stimulus durations. Amplitude discrimination capacity improved with longer stimulus durations in both bilateral and contralateral conditions. Though slight variation was observed at the level of each individual subject, overall, it is clear that local lateral inhibition plays a role in assessing the two stimuli delivered to the same hand that gives same-handed discrimination an advantage over two-handed discrimination. Additionally, the trends identified may be useful in guiding future experimentation that investigates clinical assessments of deficits in cortical processing that is mediated by callosal connections.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document