Measurement and Reproduction of Mastication Movement

This chapter first briefly introduces the measurement of the mastication movements in human subjects and then describes how a measured mastication movement can be reproduced using a chewing robot. The jaw movement is recorded using an Articulograph (AG500) while a subject chews on a food sample. The definition and conversion between various reference frames established on the subject is discussed. A mapping technique is developed to allow accurate translation of the recorded sensor points to infer the movements of the subjects’ molar tooth. A method of aligning the reference frames between the subject and the robot is then described. The inferred molar movement can then be implemented on the robot. A graphical user interface (GUI) for analysis of recorded mastication movements is also presented.