Prosthetic Sensor Identifies Pressure Before Injury

The sensor device study in China was tested on a robotic prosthetic hand and with three people with transtibial amputations. Aside from warning users how to react to the type and location of pressure, the researchers think the sensor, which acts like an artificial skin, will help clinicians personalize socket fitting and gait training.

As the participants sat, walked, climbed stairs, jumped, and ran, the sensors monitored where the socket pressed into the residual limb, how hard the pressure was, and how long it lasted. The sensor uses a haptic pathway to quickly report the location and intensity of pressure and a pain-inspired pathway that combines signals over time and across sensing points.