Convincing human amputees that they have more control over their artificial hands may actually help them gain more control over their hands.
An automated brain-computer interface that vibrates the muscles used for control of prosthetic hands helped three amputees gain better movement control over the prosthetic, according to a new study by Paul Marasco and colleagues.
Artificial Limbs
Research in the field of bio engineering and advanced amputation procedures have given improved models of artificial limbs that very nearly replicate the functions of real, biological limbs.
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‘According to this study, a method that provides illusory movement perception to human amputees can help them gain more motor control over prosthetic hands. This method involves vibration of the muscles used for prosthetic control through a neural-machine interface that produces the illusory perception of complex grip movements.’
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The muscle vibration produced an illusory "kinesthetic" sense in the amputees, meaning that they had a greater sense of the spatial positioning and movement of the hand as it performed a series of complex grip motions. This perception of movement is critical to further developing prosthetic devices, the authors say, because the kinesthetic sense can improve how well amputees can control the prosthetic and correct errors in movement.
They also note that the kinesthetic sense can help amputees regain the feeling that they are in control of their movements - a feeling that improves quality of life acceptance of a prosthesis. Marasco et al. paired arm muscle vibrations with different aspects of the grip of a virtual hand and found that, within minutes, amputees were able to incorporate this feedback and improve their grip skills - even in the absence of watching the grip and receiving visual feedback.
![Phantom Limb Syndrome]( "Phantom Limb Syndrome")
A phantom limb is a complex phenomenon involving a sensation that an amputated or a missing limb, or an organ, is still attached to the body.
Importantly, combining kinesthetic and visual feedback provided the users with a greater sense of agency over the movements of a robotic hand. The results may someday pave the way to technology that joins together kinesthetic, skin, and motor systems, to provide a more natural perceptual sense of complex artificial hand movement.
Source: Eurekalert
Phantom Limb Syndrome
A phantom limb is a complex phenomenon involving a sensation that an amputated or a missing limb, or an organ, is still attached to the body.
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Importantly, combining kinesthetic and visual feedback provided the users with a greater sense of agency over the movements of a robotic hand. The results may someday pave the way to technology that joins together kinesthetic, skin, and motor systems, to provide a more natural perceptual sense of complex artificial hand movement.
Source: Eurekalert
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