{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T01:13:59Z","timestamp":1760231639592,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,29]],"date-time":"2022-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1664409600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"JSPS KAKENHI","award":["JP19K12828","JP20K14693","JP22K12853"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JP19K12828","JP20K14693","JP22K12853"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>(1) Background: A mouth-free interface is required for functional electrical stimulation (FES) in people with spinal cord injuries. We developed a novel system for clenching the human metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint using an earphone-type ear canal movement sensor. Experiments to control joint angle and joint stiffness were performed using the developed system. (2) Methods: The proposed FES used an equilibrium point control signal and stiffness control signal: electrical agonist\u2013antagonist ratio and electrical agonist\u2013antagonist sum. An angle sensor was used to acquire the joint angle, and system identification was utilized to measure joint stiffness using the external force of a robot arm. Each experiment included six and five subjects, respectively. (3) Results: While the joint angle could be controlled well by clenching with some hysteresis and delay in three subjects, it could not be controlled relatively well after hyperextension in the other subjects, which revealed a calibration problem and a change in the characteristics of the human MP joint caused by hyperextension. The joint stiffness increased with the clenching amplitude in five subjects. In addition, the results indicated that viscosity can be controlled. (4) Conclusions: The developed system can control joint angle and stiffness. In future research, we will develop a method to show that this system can control the equilibrium point and stiffness simultaneously.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s22197412","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,29]],"date-time":"2022-09-29T23:09:29Z","timestamp":1664492969000},"page":"7412","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Earable \u03a9 (OMEGA): A Novel Clenching Interface Using Ear Canal Sensing for Human Metacarpophalangeal Joint Control by Functional Electrical Stimulation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0634-2194","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kazuhiro","family":"Matsui","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"}]},{"given":"Yuya","family":"Suzuki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"}]},{"given":"Keita","family":"Atsuumi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"Graduate School of Information Sciences, Hiroshima City University, Hiroshima 731-3194, Hiroshima, Japan"}]},{"given":"Miwa","family":"Nagai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"}]},{"given":"Shotaro","family":"Ohno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"}]},{"given":"Hiroaki","family":"Hirai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5669-1726","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Atsushi","family":"Nishikawa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5774-5124","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kazuhiro","family":"Taniguchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Osaka, Japan"},{"name":"Faculty of Human Ecology, Yasuda Women\u2019s University, Hiroshima 731-0153, Hiroshima, Japan"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/sj.sc.3101644","article-title":"Transcutaneous functional electrical stimulation for grasping in subjects with cervical spinal cord injury","volume":"43","author":"Mangold","year":"2005","journal-title":"Spinal Cord"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"539","DOI":"10.1109\/TNSRE.2012.2185065","article-title":"A comparison of closed-loop control algorithms for regulating electrically stimulated knee movements in individuals with spinal cord injury","volume":"20","author":"Lynch","year":"2012","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. 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