Study on a mechanical acupuncture instrument with computer aided controlled.

Acupuncture relies on the use of fine needles being inserted into specific points with varying amounts of manual or external stimulation. The gate control theory states that acupuncture closes the gate to pain and blocks pain perception in the brain via stimulation of large nerve fibers. The particular research develops a mechanical manipulation of acupuncture to simulate physician with the insertion of acupuncture needles which may produce similar therapy effect. Adopting two stepper motors, the mechanical acupuncture instrument is designed with synthesized movements of lifting, thrusting and twirling. The working process can be controlled by the command strings. The mechanical acupuncture instrument possesses several manipulations of acupuncture just as physician does, and the needle can be adjusted quantitatively and reliably. With quite effective therapy function of animal experiment, the mechanical acupuncture instrument can replace physician to a certain extent.