Comparison between rigid and soft poly-articulated prosthetic hands in non-expert myo-electric users shows advantages of soft robotics

Notwithstanding the advancement of modern bionic hands and the large variety of prosthetic hands in the market, commercial devices still present limited acceptance and percentage of daily use. While commercial prostheses present rigid mechanical structures, emerging trends in the design of robotic h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2021-12, Vol.11 (1), p.23952-15, Article 23952
Main Authors: Capsi-Morales, Patricia, Piazza, Cristina, Catalano, Manuel G., Grioli, Giorgio, Schiavon, Lisa, Fiaschi, Elena, Bicchi, Antonio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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639/166/988
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Activities of daily living
Adaptability
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Prostheses
Prosthetics
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:Notwithstanding the advancement of modern bionic hands and the large variety of prosthetic hands in the market, commercial devices still present limited acceptance and percentage of daily use. While commercial prostheses present rigid mechanical structures, emerging trends in the design of robotic hands are moving towards soft technologies. Although this approach is inspired by nature and could be promising for prosthetic applications, there is scant literature concerning its benefits for end-users and in real-life scenarios. In this work, we evaluate and assess the role and the benefits of soft robotic technologies in the field of prosthetics. We propose a thorough comparison between rigid and soft characteristics of two poly-articulated hands in 5 non-expert myo-electric prosthesis users in pre- and post-therapeutic training conditions. The protocol includes two standard functional assessments, three surveys for user-perception, and three customized tests to evaluate the sense of embodiment. Results highlight that rigid hands provide a more precise grasp, while soft properties show higher functionalities thanks to their adaptability to different requirements, intuitive use and more natural execution of activities of daily living. This comprehensive evaluation suggests that softness could also promote a quick integration of the system in non-expert users.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-02562-y