Improving bimanual interaction with a prosthesis using semi-autonomous control.
Robin Volkmar, Strahinja Dosen, Jose Gonzalez-Vargas and 2 others
PMID 31727087WHAT IT FOUND
In eight able-bodied people using a prosthetic hand, a semi-autonomous system that detected hand movements made two-handed object tasks faster, more intuitive, and less effortful than standard myoelectric control.
Key findings
01The BPC condition was significantly faster than standard myoelectric control, with trial time of 65 seconds versus 87 seconds.
02Perceived workload was significantly lower with BPC, at 47 versus 63 on the NASA TLX workload index.
03Participants rated BPC as substantially more intuitive than standard control, with scores of 70 versus 50 on a 100-point scale.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used eight able-bodied people wearing a prosthesis, not people with limb loss, so it does not show what amputees would experience. It tested a laboratory prototype with a limited set of bimanual object tasks, not everyday clinical use. The authors state the system is not yet robust for clinical environments and does not support all bimanual tasks. Object drops were not significantly different between conditions, despite no drops in BPC. Movement classification was not perfect: 95% correct overall, with some errors, and one participant had about 8% misclassification. A reference test with own hands had a median trial time of 17 seconds, showing that natural hand performance remains far ahead. Feedback usefulness was highly variable across subjects. Only one unilateral prosthesis interaction was included, so the contribution of shoulder-based wrist control was modest.
Declared interests
Funded by Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. The supplied text does not state author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this improves bimanual ADLs for people with limb loss. The study tested eight able-bodied people wearing a prosthetic hand, and the authors say the system is not yet ready for robust clinical use.