Possibility of quantifying TCM finger-reading sensations: I. Bi-Sensing Pulse Diagnosis Instrument

Aim of this study: This paper reports the construction and functionality of a newly designed Bi-Sensing Pulse Diagnosis Instrument (BSPDI) with a Pressure-Displacement Bi-Sensing System (PDBSS) coupled to a robot finger system. The BSPDI is used to simulate the three positions and nine indicators (TPNI) using the finger-reading rule, which addresses the three levels of superficial (Fu), medium (Zhong), and deep (Chen) at the three positions of distal (CUN), middle (GUAN) and proximal (CHI) on the wrist during pulse diagnosis. Materials and methods: A strain gauge and polyvinylidene fluoride pressure sensor were integrated as a PDBSS to separately record finger-reading skills and sense a physician's fingertip sensations. The corresponding sensation and pulse-taking displacement between the physician's fingertips and the BSPDI and the relationship between the pulse diagnosis and the nine TPNI displacements were used to determine the feasibility of the BSPDI. Results: TPNI displacements, representing a physician's finger-reading skill, were recorded using a PDBSS. In this scenario, the BSPDI robot fingertips with pressure sensors were placed at the nine recorded TPNI displacements. The pressure sensors recorded pulse signals to simulate a physician's fingertip sensations. Two groups of participants with different health statuses were evaluated by both the BSPDI and TCM physicians. Both groups received similar diagnoses, and the results of a two-way ANOVA indicated that pulse diagnoses were highly related to the clinical experiences of the pulse-taking displacements and positions. Conclusions: The novel BSPDI can be used to successfully mimic a TCM physician's finger-reading skill, as this technique obtained pulse signals at the nine TPNI displacements representing fingertip sensations. © 2012 Elsevier GmbH.