Kinesthetic sensors for determining angular displacements
A kinesthetic sensor measure angular displacement of body parts of users by measuring a density of substances contained in a conduit of the kinesthetic sensor. For example, the kinesthetic sensor measures the density of substance including in a conduit by transmitting a signal into the conduit and measuring the signal after the signal passes through the conduit and one or more substances included in the conduit. Based on the density of the one or more substances included in the conduit from the measured signal, an angular displacement of a user's body part proximate to the kinesthetic sensor is determined. Kinesthetic sensors may use different architectures such as an open-loop, a closed-loop architecture, or an architecture using blood vessels as conduits. Additionally, kinesthetic sensors can be flexible to conform to physical contours of different body parts.
1. A kinesthetic sensor comprising:
a flexible tube comprising an outer surface, a first end surface, and a second end surface, the flexible tube containing a first substance between the first end surface and the second end surface;
an injector coupled to the first end surface, the injector configured to inject discrete volumes of a second substance into the tube at the first end surface so each discrete volume of the second substance traverses the flexible tube from the first end surface to the second end surface and adjacent discrete volumes of the second substance are separated by the first substance;
a transmitter positioned on a side of an outer surface of the flexible tube and configured to transmit a signal through the flexible tube towards an opposite side of the outer surface that is parallel to the side of the outer surface; and
a receiver positioned on a side of the opposite side of the outer surface and configured to receive the signal after the signal propagates from the side of the outer surface through an intervening substance included in the flexible tube between the transmitter and the receiver and to generate a detection signal indicating a density of the intervening substance included in the tube between the transmitter and the receiver based on the signal received by the receiver, wherein the density of the intervening substance corresponds to an angular displacement of the kinesthetic sensor.
2. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first substance is a first liquid, the second substance is a second liquid, and the second end surface comprises a membrane that is permeable to the second liquid permeable and is not permeable to the first liquid.
3. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 2 , wherein the second liquid has a density differing from a density of the second liquid.
4. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 2 , wherein the second liquid has a temperature differing from a temperature of the first liquid.
5. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 2 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are at a common temperature.
6. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 1 , wherein the first substance is water, the second substance is air, and the second end surface comprises a membrane that is permeable to air and impermeable to water.
7. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 1 , wherein the injector is configured to inject the discrete volumes of the second liquid at a predetermined rate.
8. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 1 , wherein each discrete volume of the second liquid has a common volume.
9. The kinesthetic sensor of claim 1 , wherein a discrete volumes of the second liquid injected into the flexible tube has a different volume than a volume of another discrete volume of the second liquid injected into the flexible tube.