01904nas a2200241 4500008004100000022001400041245007700055210006900132260001200201300001600213490000700229520121800236653001201454653001301466100001901479700001801498700001801516700001601534700001301550700001501563700001601578856006801594 2017 eng d a1534-432000aGrasp Performance of a Soft Synergy-Based Prosthetic Hand: A Pilot Study0 aGrasp Performance of a Soft SynergyBased Prosthetic Hand A Pilot c12/2017 a2407 - 24170 v253 a
Current prosthetic hands are frequently rejected in part due to limited functionality and versatility. We assessed the feasibility of a novel prosthetic hand, the SoftHand Pro (SHP), whose design combines soft robotics and hand postural synergies. Able-bodied subjects (n = 23) tracked cursor motion by opening and closing the SHP and performed a grasp-lift-hold-release (GLHR) task with a sensorized cylindrical object of variable weight. The SHP control was driven by electromyographic (EMG) signals from two antagonistic muscles. Although the time to perform the GLHR task was longer for the SHP than native hand for the first few trials (10.2 ± 1.4 s and 2.13 ± 0.09 s, respectively), performance was much faster on subsequent trials (~5 s). The SHP steady-state grip force was significantly modulated as a function of object weight (p <; 0.001). For the native hand, however, peak and steady-state grip forces were modulated to a greater extent (+68% and +91%, respectively). These changes were mediated by the modulation of EMG amplitude and co-contraction. These data suggest that the SHP has a promise for prosthetic applications and point-to-design modifications that could improve the SHP.
10aHaptics10aRobotics1 aGailey, A., S.1 aGodfrey, S.B.1 aBreighner, R.1 aAndrews, K.1 aZhao, K.1 aBicchi, A.1 aSantello, M uhttp://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=8094246