BABYSCAN, a whole body counter for small children with a detection limit for (137)Cs of better than 50 Bq/body, was developed, and the first unit has been installed at a hospital in Fukushima, to help families with small children who are very much concerned about internal exposures. The design principles, implementation details and the initial operating experience are described.

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There are body-powered hooks and myoelectric prosthetic hands that trans-radial amputees can use for work. Though the body-powered hooks have good workability for complex operations, the design of the hook is unappealing and the harness is cumbersome. The myoelectric prosthetic hand has a natural appearance similar to the human hand and intuitive operability using a myoelectric control system. However, it is expensive and heavy. Because of these problems associated with prostheses for work, many amputees use cosmetic prostheses. In this paper, we report a lightweight, low-cost electric trans-radial prosthesis with three opposed fingers. A simple mechanism to control the fingers by a linear actuator contributes to its good workability, lightweight, and low-cost. An operation system using an inexpensive distance sensor allows intuitive operability equivalent to the myoelectric control system. A socket makes the prosthesis easily removable. The total weight of the hand and socket is 300 g, and both can be produced with a 3D printer. An evaluation using the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) demonstrated that an amputee was able to operate abstract objects which require six types of grasps with the developed prosthesis.

Forearm amputees can use body-powered hooks and myoelectric hands for their daily activities. The body-powered hooks are suitable for delicate manipulation. However, their appearance is not always preferred by amputees, and a harness to pull a control cable is not easy to wear. Although the myoelectric hands have a natural appearance similar to the human hand and can be intuitively controlled by a myoelectric control system, they are not easy to try out and are heavy. This paper reports on the Finch, a prosthetic arm with three opposing fingers controlled by a muscle bulge. The aim of developing the Finch is to realize a lightweight prosthetic arm that is easy to wear and use. Three opposing fingers are controlled according to the degree of muscle bulge measured with a muscle bulge sensor on the user's forearm caused by muscle contraction. A supporter socket, consisting of a resin socket frame and a fabric supporter, allows easy fitting. A simple design using a linear actuator and 3D-printed parts achieved light weight (330 g) and low cost. Six functional tests and user tests using Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure showed that the Finch had a practical function that could be used in daily activities.

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