SoftHand at the CYBATHLON: a user's experience

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Technology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• High upper limb prosthesis rejection rates (approx. 25%) due to comfort, cost, aesthetics, and function.
• Focus on a single user's experience with novel prosthetic hands.
• Exploration of the SoftHand Pro and SoftHand Pro-H for improved prosthetic usability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and usability of a flexible anthropomorphic prosthetic hand.
• To assess user performance and learning curve with the SoftHand Pro and SoftHand Pro-H.
• To compare performance in a controlled environment versus a competition setting.

Main Methods:

• User training with the SoftHand Pro (myoelectric) and SoftHand Pro-H (harness-controlled).
• Participation in the CYBATHLON Powered Arm Prosthesis Race (rehearsal and 2016).
• Focus on basic control, task-specific training, and device use in competition.

Main Results:

• Rapid performance improvement with the myoelectric SoftHand Pro during initial training.
• Further performance gains with the harness-controlled SoftHand Pro-H.
• Successful completion of all CYBATHLON tasks by the user, achieving 5th place out of 12 competitors.

Conclusions:

• The SoftHand Pro and Pro-H are viable alternatives to current anthropomorphic prosthetic hands.
• The unique flexibility of the prosthetic hand is easily learned and utilized by users.
• The study highlights the potential for improved user acceptance and performance with advanced prosthetic designs.