Comparison of vibrotactile and joint-torque feedback in a myoelectric upper-limb prosthesis.
Neha Thomas, Garrett Ung, Colette McGarvey and 1 others
PMID 31186005WHAT IT FOUND
Vibration and joint-torque feedback both improved stiffness discrimination over no feedback in able-bodied users.
Neither modality outperformed the other. Results cannot be generalised to amputees or clinical prostheses.
Key findings
01Both vibrotactile and joint-torque feedback significantly improved object discrimination accuracy compared to no feedback for the soft-hard block combination.
02There was no significant difference in accuracy between vibrotactile and joint-torque feedback in any block combination.
03Participants rated both feedback conditions as significantly less mentally demanding and less frustrating than the no feedback condition.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study used able-bodied participants wearing a mock prosthesis, not actual amputees, so findings may not translate to clinical users. Feedback was delivered to the contralateral (non-dominant) arm, which is less natural than ipsilateral delivery. The sample size was small (n=10), limiting statistical power for detecting differences between feedback types. The 'no feedback' condition used a visual aperture display, which is an interpreted cue and may differ from standard visual observation of block deformation. Hardware issues and friction in the cable drive may have masked true force signals, particularly for similar stiffness blocks.
Declared interests
None reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these feedback methods are ready for clinical prostheses. The study tested able-bodied users with a custom lab rig and contralateral feedback, not amputees with commercial devices.