To clarify the motor function of the infant tongue during sucking, we developed an artificial nipple that contained multiple small built‐in force sensors integrated with a PC‐based system which is capable of measuring tongue–artificial nipple contact pressures in real time. The force sensor is a cantilever structure with a small, thin stainless steel beam where an all‐purpose foil strain gauge is attached to the surface of the beam. An artificial nipple made of an elastomer containing these sensors is connected through an amplifier and an A/D converter to a PC via a USB port. Using this system, measurements were taken in three infants whose oral feeding was well established and in one infant of low birth weight. The results from each force sensor showed a pressure waveform of a nearly simple harmonic motion that indicated a peristalsis‐like movement of the tongue; the sucking frequency was found to be about two times per second. In addition, in the low‐birth‐weight infant, the pressure changed as the infant grew. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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In this study, we devised a MIDI controller that a user with severe physical dysfunction was able to operate by depressing a mat switch with an electric wheelchair, and proposed a new method for musical education and therapy employing the system. This system comprises a mat switch resistant to 100 N of a movement load in a 500×700 mm2 area, an A/D converter, a PC, and a MIDI device. Signal output from the mat switch is converted to MIDI signals by the PC and transmitted to the MIDI device. By pushing down ten mat switches arranged in a matrix pattern, a user can manipulate all elements necessary to control MIDI signals, such as volume and musical sounds. As a result, it was confirmed that a user in an electric wheelchair was able to control musical notes, volume, tunes, and scales. Furthermore, since it was possible to use it for a hand bell and a musical game mimicking the card game ‘‘Concentration,’’ it may be applicable for musical education.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of the tongue movement in an infant during sucking. Therefore, we constructed a system for measuring the force applied by an infant tongue to an artificial nipple using a point-contact force sensor. The force sensor consists of a pressure transducer and a stainless steel ball. Any force applied to the artificial nipple is transmitted to the pressure transducer, via point contact with the stainless steel ball. The sensors are arranged at the tip and base of the nipple to capture peristaltic-like movements of the tongue. This system is portable and resembles a feeding bottle. Since the sucking period, output signal, the order in which force is applied to the sensor, and the time difference are displayed on the integrated LCD screen, measurement results are available immediately. Using this system, we performed measurements on infants with different nutritional states. In infants capable of breastfeeding, sucking involves peristaltic-like movements of the tongue. In infants incapable of breastfeeding, the base and the tip of the tongue contact the nipple at the same time. In addition, pediatricians validated this system, demonstrating that adaptation to the clinic is possible.

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