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D F Law

Publications and source records attributed to D F Law.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1981

Vacuum as a grasping force.

Three lifting systems for small objects were designed using vacuum as an artificial prehensile force. The first system for persons with C4-5 quadriplegia employed a vacuum pump, pneumatic tubing and a customized wrist-hand orthosis. For more severely disabled persons with C4 quadriplegia, the authors adapted this vacuum pick-up system by substituting a lightweight, tubular aluminum mouthstick in place of the orthosis as the primary grasping utensil. A 3rd variation, the suction mouthstick, lifted small objects and turned pages by using only the suction power generated by the person's own inspiratory force without additional mechanical amplification.

Hand↗
PubMed1981

Aid for training and evaluation of handicapped drivers.

An indoor driver-evaluator and trainer-aid vehicle, developed to quantify students' ability and progress in learning to drive, is described. In general, the instrumentation for each control was built to measure operating force and elapsed time. The system consists of functional ignition and gear shift control, instrumented steering wheel, hand controls for brake and acceleration, and elapsed response time meters for each control. The controls allow the major driving functions to be evaluated in their interactive mode and the subjects to be taught using variable mechanical resistance elements. Pilot tests were made on nine tetraplegic subjects, spaced over a 4-week period for a subject. Evaluation results by the third test agreed with road evaluation for all six of the subjects who thus far have attempted licensing examinations.

Automobile Driving↗