Determination of target position of meal assistance orthosis using EOG signal and dish image

Target position of a meal assistance orthosis is determined by using electrooculogram (EOG) signals and dish image. The meal assistance orthosis supports meal taking of disabled persons who have partly or completely lost the ability of moving their upper limbs by themselves independently. Scooping points on dishes can be determined by using image processing of the dish image taken by a video camera. Human intention, i.e., selection of dish, can be extracted from EOG signals which are measured by electrodes on the face. Target position of the meal assistance orthosis, i.e., the scooping point of the selected dish can be determined by the combination of the scooping point determination and the dish selection. The effectiveness of the proposed method of the determination of the target position is assured by experimental works on normal persons.