EMG feedback improves grasping of compliant objects using a myoelectric prosthesis.
Jack Tchimino, Jakob Lund Dideriksen, Strahinja Dosen
PMID 37705008WHAT IT FOUND
Vibrating the arm to signal muscle activation helped participants open clothespins with a prosthetic hand more often than relying on sight alone.
It did not make them faster. The benefit was largest for the softest objects.
Key findings
01EMG feedback significantly improved task success rate (87.6% vs 72.2%) compared to incidental feedback alone.
02Contrary to expectations, completion time was slightly faster without EMG feedback for the softest pin (2.82s vs 3.31s).
03The one amputee participant's results followed the same trends as the able-bodied group, suggesting potential clinical relevance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (10 able-bodied, 1 amputee). The able-bodied participants had no experience with myoelectric control, so the results may not reflect the performance of experienced prosthesis users. The amputee participant's data was not included in the statistical analysis. The study used a specific prosthetic hand and clothespin task, which may not generalize to all daily activities. The feedback was discrete (5 levels), which limits precision compared to continuous feedback.
Declared interests
Funded by Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond. No other conflicts of interest are reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume EMG feedback will speed up prosthetic grasping. In this study, participants were slightly slower with feedback for the softest object, likely because they adopted a more conservative strategy to ensure success.