DETECTION AND EVALUATION OF USER GRIP WITH A HANDHELD TOOL
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A tool, comprising:
- a handle;
an attachment arm extending from the handle;
one or more sensors disposed within the handle, the one or more sensors configured to sense a pressure exerted on the handle by a hand of a user while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of the attachment arm;
grip evaluation logic coupled to receive from the one or more sensors an output indicative of the pressure, the grip evaluation logic comprising circuitry configured to calculate a grip metric based on the output; and
a communication interface coupled to the grip evaluation logic, the communication interface to output from the tool a signal including medical diagnostic information based on the grip metric.
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Abstract
Techniques and mechanisms for detecting and evaluating grip by a user operating a handheld tool. In an embodiment, the tool includes a handle, one or more pressure sensors disposed in or on the handle, and an attachment arm. An output from the one or more sensors is generated while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of an attachment arm of the tool. Logic of the tool calculates a grip metric based on the sensor output, and the tool transmits, based on the grip metric, a signal including medical diagnostic information. In another embodiment, the user-assistive device includes a utensil attachment or a personal hygiene attachment.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A tool, comprising:
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a handle; an attachment arm extending from the handle; one or more sensors disposed within the handle, the one or more sensors configured to sense a pressure exerted on the handle by a hand of a user while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of the attachment arm; grip evaluation logic coupled to receive from the one or more sensors an output indicative of the pressure, the grip evaluation logic comprising circuitry configured to calculate a grip metric based on the output; and a communication interface coupled to the grip evaluation logic, the communication interface to output from the tool a signal including medical diagnostic information based on the grip metric. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method performed by a tool, the method comprising:
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sensing a pressure exerted on a handle of the tool by a hand of a user while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of an attachment arm of the tool; calculating a grip metric based on the pressure; storing the grip metric to a log of the tool; and transmitting from the tool a signal including medical diagnostic information based on the grip metric. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processing units, cause a tool to perform a method comprising:
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sensing a pressure exerted on a handle of the tool by a hand of a user while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of an attachment arm of the tool; calculating a grip metric based on the pressure; storing the grip metric to a log of the tool; and transmitting from the tool a signal including medical diagnostic information based on the grip metric. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification