Traditional myoelectric hands rely on detecting muscle activity in residual limbs, which makes them unsuitable for people with short residual limbs. A team of researchers therefore developed an electric prosthetic hand that functions without myoelectricity, using wearable wireless sensor technology for control, and their study concluded that the prototype has potential for widespread application.
As a preliminary evaluation, the prototype hand with wireless button sensors was compared with a conventional myoelectric hand, the Ottobock Myobock with System Electric Hand DMC Plus.
Ten non-disabled therapists were enrolled in the study: five men and five women with an average age of 29.7 ± 4.9 years; six physical therapists and four occupational therapists. The hands were fixed to their forearms, myoelectric hand muscle activity sensors were attached to the wrist extensor and flexor muscles, and wireless button sensors for the prostheses were attached to each user’s trunk.
Clinical evaluations were performed using the Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Function and the Action Research Arm Test. The fatigue degree was evaluated using the modified Borg scale before and after the tests. While no statistically significant differences were observed between the two hands across the tests, the change in the Borg scale was notably smaller for the prototype prosthetic hand, the study concluded.
The open-access study, “Developing a novel prosthetic hand with wireless wearable sensor technology based on user perspectives: A pilot study,” was published in Sensors as part of the Special Issue: Challenges and Future Trends of Wearable Robotics.
