Wrist speed feedback improves elbow compensation and reaching accuracy for myoelectric transradial prosthesis users in hybrid virtual reaching task.
Eric J Earley, Reva E Johnson, Jonathon W Sensinger and 1 others
PMID 36658605WHAT IT FOUND
Audio feedback indicating wrist speed reduced reaching errors for six transradial amputees using a virtual myoelectric arm.
It also decreased compensatory elbow bias. However, it did not improve adaptation to sudden control changes, and results come from a small lab study, not daily use.
Key findings
01Providing audio feedback on wrist speed significantly reduced endpoint errors and wrist angle errors during steady-state reaching.
02Feedback reduced compensatory elbow bias, though it did not significantly change the rate at which subjects adapted to their own errors.
03The feedback did not help subjects adapt to sudden perturbations in the control system, showing no significant difference in initial or final errors during perturbed reaches.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only six subjects participated, limiting the generalizability of the findings. The task was performed in a virtual reality setup, not with a physical prosthesis in daily life. Subjects were not wearing their home prostheses; they were controlling a virtual arm via sensors attached to their residual limb. The study did not include individuals with congenital limb differences. The perturbation analysis was limited by noisy data and the inability to use the intended statistical model. The results may not apply to more complex or functional tasks, as the study used simple center-out reaches.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. No conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this audio feedback will improve daily prosthesis control or adaptation to unexpected changes. The benefits were limited to simple, steady-state reaching in a virtual task with only six participants, and the feedback failed to help when the control system was suddenly perturbed.