Hand Function Kinematics when using a Simulated Myoelectric Prosthesis

Studies that investigate myoelectric prosthesis control commonly use non-disabled participants fitted with a simulated prosthetic device. This approach improves participant recruitment numbers but assumes that simulated movements represent those of actual prosthesis users. If this assumption is valid, then movement performance differences between simulated prosthesis users and normative populations should be similar to differences between actual prosthesis users and normative populations. As a first step in testing this assumption, the objective of this study was to quantify movement performance differences between simulated transradial myoelectric prosthesis hand function and normative hand function. Motion capture technology was used to obtain hand kinematics for 12 non-disabled simulated prosthesis participants who performed a functional object-manipulation task. Performance metrics, end effector movement, and grip aperture results were compared to 20 nondisabled participants who used their own hand during task execution. Simulated prosthesis users were expected to perform the functional task more slowly, with multiple peaks in end effector velocity profiles, and a plateau in grip aperture when reaching to pick up objects, when compared to non-disabled participants. This study confirmed these expectations and recommends that subsequent research be undertaken to quantify differences in actual myoelectric prosthesis hand function versus normative hand function.