[Design and application of moxibustion mechanical arm]

Area of Science:

• * Biomedical Engineering
• * Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background:

• * Traditional moxibustion lacks reproducibility due to varied doctor techniques.
• * Difficulty in quantitative and qualitative clinical research hinders traditional moxibustion advancement.
• * Need for standardized and repeatable moxibustion treatment delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To design and develop a moxibustion mechanical arm for consistent treatment.
• * To evaluate the efficacy, repeatability, and user experience of the mechanical arm.
• * To enable quantitative and qualitative research in moxibustion therapy.

Main Methods:

• * Design of a moxibustion mechanical arm with hardware (STM32 microcontroller, servos, sensors) and software components.
• * Implementation of multi-task adaptability for various moxibustion techniques (circling, sparrow-pecking).
• * Real-time data transmission via Bluetooth, OLED display, and button-controlled operation modes.

Main Results:

• * Clinical trials demonstrated equivalent treatment effects to traditional moxibustion.
• * The mechanical arm significantly improved operational convenience and treatment repeatability.
• * Enhanced treatment experience reported by both doctors and patients.

Conclusions:

• * The moxibustion mechanical arm provides a standardized and reproducible alternative to traditional methods.
• * It offers comparable therapeutic outcomes with improved usability and patient satisfaction.
• * Facilitates future research and clinical application of moxibustion therapy.