Modelling of hand and arm position and orientation

A system for modelling a position and orientation of a hand, comprising:

• a glove with glove fingers, comprising
• at least a first sensor on a portion of the glove finger corresponding to a phalanx distalis of a finger, wherein said first sensor is adapted to provide information on at least five degrees of freedom that correspond to three translations, yaw and pitch;
• and
• a second sensor at a position that is fixed on a portion of the glove finger corresponding to a dorsum or palm of the hand, wherein said second sensor is adapted to provide information on at least six degrees of freedom that correspond to three translations, yaw, pitch and roll with respect to a point of the dorsum or palm of the hand, and
• a device comprising
• a detector for detecting a position and orientation of each of the first and second sensors;
• a storage for storing a first distance between said point and a first joint of the glove finger corresponding to a metacarpal-phalangeal joint of the finger, a second distance between the first joint and a second joint of the glove finger corresponding to a proximal interphalangeal joint of the finger, a third distance between the second joint and a third joint of the glove finger corresponding to a distal interphalangeal joint of the finger, and a fourth distance between the third joint and the first sensor;
• and
• a calculator for calculating a position and orientation of each of the three joints on the basis of the stored first to fourth distances, the detected position and orientation of the first sensor, and the detected position and orientation of the second sensor.

A method for modelling a position and orientation of a hand, comprising the steps of:

• attaching at least a first sensor on a phalanx distalis of a finger, wherein said first sensor is adapted to provide information on at least five degrees of freedom that correspond to three translations, yaw and pitch;
• placing a second sensor at a fixed position relative to a dorsum or palm of the hand, wherein said second sensor is adapted to provide information on at least six degrees of freedom that correspond to three translations, yaw, pitch and roll with respect to a point (S6) of the dorsum or palm of the hand;
• measuring a first distance between a metacarpal-phalangeal joint (A) and a proximal interphalangeal joint (B), a second distance between the proximal interphalangeal joint (B) and a distal interphalangeal joint (C), and a third distance between the distal interphalangeal joint (C) and the first sensor;
• calculating a position of a metacarpal-phalangeal joint (A) relative to the first sensor in a state that the finger is stretched, on the basis of the first to third distances;
• detecting a position and orientation of each of the first and second sensors;
• and
• calculating a position and orientation of each of the three joints on the basis of the measured first to third distances, the calculated, relative position of the metacarpal-phalangeal joint (A), the detected position and orientation of the first sensor, and the detected position and orientation of the second sensor.