SkillPicker

Tweezers for Recording and Training Dexterous Operations

Tweezers are used to carry out crucial functions in various research fields, most notably biology. Thus, proficiency in using tweezers impacts experimental outcomes. However, becoming proficient in using tweezers under expert guidance is not always easy for beginners because the force applied to the tip of a tweezer is virtually imperceptible. To help learners, we propose SkillPicker, which provides the user with images taken at the tip of their tweezers and measures the pinch force simultaneously. Thus, experts can record their technique using SkillPicker, enabling beginners to practice autonomously. SkillPicker is equipped with a small magnifying camera at the fulcrum of the tweezers and a pressure sensor to record the pinch force applied by the user’s thumb. We establish an empirical correlation between the pressure applied and the pinch force at the tip, thereby enabling the estimation of the pinch force applied at the tip of the tweezers. SkillPicker also enables pressure values to be visualized or converted into musical notes on a scale to promote instant comprehension. This system facilitates the recording and sharing of tweezer operation, enabling beginners to learn dexterity both visually and physically.

Publication

Noriyasu Obushi, Shohei Oshiro, Yusei Imai, Chikayoshi Matsudaira, Saku Kijima, Takehiko Kanazawa, Hirokazu Tsukaya, and Masahiko Inami. 2024. SkillPicker: Tweezers for Recording and Training Dexterous Operations. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2024 Emerging Technologies (SIGGRAPH ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 18, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1145/3641517.3664392

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP19H05670, JP19H05671, and JP24H00710 and JST SPRING Grant Number JPMJSP2140.