FeetBack – Redirecting touch sensation from a prosthetic hand to the human foot

Morand, Rafael; Brusa, Tobia; Schnüriger, Nina; Catanzaro, Sabrina; Berli, Martin; Koch, Volker M. (2022). FeetBack – Redirecting touch sensation from a prosthetic hand to the human foot Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16, pp. 1-12. Frontiers Media 10.3389/fnins.2022.1019880

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Introduction: Adding sensory feedback to myoelectric prosthetic hands was shown to enhance the user experience in terms of controllability and device embodiment. Often this is realized non-invasively by adding devices, such as actuators or electrodes, within the prosthetic shaft to deliver the desired feedback. However, adding a feedback system in the socket adds more weight, steals valuable space, and may interfere with myoelectric signals. To circumvent said drawbacks we tested for the first time if force feedback from a prosthetic hand could be redirected to another similarly sensitive part of the body: the foot. Methods: We developed a vibrotactile insole that vibrates depending on the sensed force on the prosthetic fingers. This self-controlled clinical pilot trial included four experienced users of myoelectric prostheses. The participants solved two types of tasks with the artificial hands: 1) sorting objects depending on their plasticity with the feedback insole but without audio-visual feedback, and 2) manipulating fragile, heavy, and delicate objects with and without the feedback insole. The sorting task was evaluated with Goodman-Kruskal’s gamma for ranked correlation. The manipulation tasks were assessed by the success rate. Results: The results from the sorting task with vibrotactile feedback showed a substantial positive effect. The success rates for manipulation tasks with fragile and heavy objects were high under both conditions (feedback on or off, respectively). The manipulation task with delicate objects revealed inferior success with feedback in three of four participants. Conclusion: We introduced a novel approach to touch sensation in myoelectric prostheses. The results for the sorting task and the manipulation tasks diverged. This is likely linked to the availability of various feedback sources. Our results for redirected feedback to the feet fall in line with previous similar studies that applied feedback to the residual arm.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	School of Engineering and Computer Science > Institute for Human Centered Engineering (HUCE) School of Engineering and Computer Science > Institute for Human Centered Engineering (HUCE) > HUCE / Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering School of Engineering and Computer Science
Name:	Morand, Rafael0000-0002-2360-7898; Brusa, Tobia; Schnüriger, Nina; Catanzaro, Sabrina; Berli, Martin and Koch, Volker M.
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
ISSN:	1662-453X
Publisher:	Frontiers Media
Funders:	[UNSPECIFIED] Stiftung Inventus Bern
Projects:	[UNSPECIFIED] FeetBack
Language:	English
Submitter:	Rafael Philippe Morand
Date Deposited:	27 Oct 2022 16:52
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2022 08:47
Publisher DOI:	10.3389/fnins.2022.1019880
Related URLs:	Publication
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Upper limb prosthesis Sensory feedback Touch sensation Grip force Vibrotactile insole Discrete feedback
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.17868
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/17868