A compact system for simultaneous stimulation and recording for closed-loop myoelectric control.
Martin A Garenfeld, Nikola Jorgovanovic, Vojin Ilic and 4 others
PMID 34034762WHAT IT FOUND
A new wearable system lets prosthetic users feel touch and control the hand at the same time without the signals interfering.
The touch feedback worked when vision was blocked, but it did not make control better than using vision alone.
Key findings
01Adding electrical touch stimulation to the same arm as the muscle sensors did not degrade the user's ability to control the prosthetic cursor compared to using vision alone.
02Users could successfully control the device using only the touch feedback when visual cues were removed, achieving a 78% completion rate.
03The system uses a dynamic blanking algorithm to remove stimulation artifacts from the muscle recordings, allowing both functions to work simultaneously on the same arm.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was conducted on able-bodied subjects, not amputees, so it does not prove the system works for the target population. The task was controlling a computer cursor, not operating a real prosthetic hand. The system requires a significant amount of training (about 15 minutes just for feedback interpretation) and the experiment itself took 2 to 3 hours. The blanking algorithm deletes a portion of the muscle signal (7% to 40% loss), which might affect performance in more complex real-world scenarios.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The work was supported by non-U.S. government funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this system improves daily prosthetic use. The study showed that touch feedback did not make control better than vision, and performance was significantly worse when vision was removed. It proves the technology works technically, not that it helps patients functionally yet.