Article

User acceptance of myoelectric forearm prostheses is currently low. Awkward
control, lack of feedback, and difficult training are cited as primary reasons.
Recently, researchers have focused on exploiting the new possibilities offered by
advancements in prosthetic technology. Alternatively, researchers could focus on
prosthesis acceptance by developing functional requirements based on activities
users are likely to perform. In this article, we describe the process of
determining such requirements and then the application of these requirements to
evaluating the state of the art in myoelectric forearm prosthesis research. As
part of a needs assessment, a workshop was organized involving clinicians
(representing end users), academics, and engineers. The resulting needs included
an increased number of functions, lower reaction and execution times, and
intuitiveness of both control and feedback systems. Reviewing the state of the
art of research in the main prosthetic subsystems (electromyographic [EMG]
sensing, control, and feedback) showed that modern research prototypes only
partly fulfill the requirements. We found that focus should be on validating
EMG-sensing results with patients, improving simultaneous control of wrist
movements and grasps, deriving optimal parameters for force and position
feedback, and taking into account the psychophysical aspects of feedback, such as
intensity perception and spatial acuity.

Langue : ANGLAIS