Neuropathic pain affects around one percent of the population and significantly reduces their quality of life. Common examples of NP include painful diabetic neuropathy, sciatic pain and HIV neuropathy. Sensory changes are hallmarks of neuropathic pain, but are rarely studied in clinical trials as they are time consuming and they require special training. A quantitative sensory test robot (QSTR) might provide automatic, quick and reproducible sensory assessment for both human and animal subjects. |
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The QSTR consisting of a robotic arm equipped with a load cell and a pinprick probe was proposed for automatic measurements of different sensory modalities (threshold, hyperalgesia, allodynia and hypoalgesia) in one linear axis. |
The prototype was built using LEGO MINDSTORMS with a LEGO NXT Intelligent Brick as the controller. To control the system and for data acquisition LabVIEW software was used. A custom load cell sensor with 0.2mm pinprick probe and amplifier (AD620) was designed. |
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A QSTR achieved linear resolution better
than 1 mm and force resolution better than 1 gram, which
exceeds requirements for clinical studies. A fully automated
assessment takes less than 60 seconds per point. A QSTR can work as an embedded system or be controlled from a PC.
Bluetooth communication produce physical isolation from the PC.
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