Usability Assessment of Body Controlled Electric Hand Prostheses: A Pilot Study

Poly-articulated hands, actuated by multiple motors and controlled by surface myoelectric technologies, represent the most advanced aids among commercial prostheses. However, simple hook-like body-powered solutions are still preferred for their robustness and control reliability, especially for challenging environments (such as those encountered in manual work or developing countries). This study presents the mechatronic implementation and the usability assessment of the SoftHand Pro-Hybrid, a family of poly-articulated, electrically-actuated, and body-controlled artificial hands, which combines the main advantages of both body-powered and myoelectric systems in a single device. An assessment of the proposed system is performed with individuals with and without limb loss, using as a benchmark the SoftHand Pro, which shares the same soft mechanical architecture, but is controlled using surface electromyographic sensors. Results indicate comparable task performance between the two control methods and suggest the potential of the SoftHand Pro-Hybrid configurations as a viable alternative to myoelectric control, especially in work and demanding environments.