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Title: Multichannel haptic feedback unlocks prosthetic hand dexterity

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports

Abstract Loss of tactile sensations is a major roadblock preventing upper limb-absent people from multitasking or using the full dexterity of their prosthetic hands. With current myoelectric prosthetic hands, limb-absent people can only control one grasp function at a time even though modern artificial hands are mechanically capable of individual control of all five digits. In this paper, we investigated whether people could precisely control the grip forces applied to two different objects grasped simultaneously with a dexterous artificial hand. Toward that end, we developed a novel multichannel wearable soft robotic armband to convey artificial sensations of touch to the robotic hand users. Multiple channels of haptic feedback enabled subjects to successfully grasp and transport two objects simultaneously with the dexterous artificial hand without breaking or dropping them, even when their vision of both objects was obstructed. Simultaneous transport of the objects provided a significant time savings to perform the deliveries in comparison to a one-at-a-time approach. This paper demonstrated that subjects were able to integrate multiple channels of haptic feedback into their motor control strategies to perform a complex simultaneous object grasp control task with an artificial limb, which could serve as a paradigm shift in the way prosthetic hands are operated.

Research Organization:
Florida Atlantic Univ., Boca Raton, FL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Institute of Aging; National Science Foundation (NSF); Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Grant/Contract Number:
TOA#0000403076; R01EB025819; 3R01EB025819-04S1; 1317952; 1536136; 1950400
OSTI ID:
1844822
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1903818
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Journal Name: Scientific Reports Vol. 12 Journal Issue: 1; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English

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