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Updated: Jul 21, 2026
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A Structured Rehabilitation Protocol for Improved Multifunctional Prosthetic Control: A Case Study
Published on: November 6, 2015
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Reducing Grip Uncertainty During Initial Prosthetic Hand Use Improves Eye-Hand Coordination and Lowers Mental
M O Mohamed1, G Wood1, D J Wright2
1Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.
Journal of Motor Behavior
|March 24, 2024
Summary
Reducing grip uncertainty in myoelectric prostheses improves control and reduces mental workload for users. This finding aids in developing better prosthetic hand learning strategies and encourages effective device use.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Engineering
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Myoelectric prosthesis use often leads to overreliance on vision due to grip uncertainty, increasing cognitive load and device abandonment.
- Understanding the impact of grip uncertainty on visuomotor control is crucial for improving prosthetic hand functionality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if reducing grip uncertainty affects visuomotor control and mental workload during initial myoelectric prosthesis use.
- To assess the efficacy of a simple intervention (Velcro) in mitigating challenges associated with prosthetic hand control.
Main Methods:
- A repeated measures design involving 21 able-bodied participants performing a pouring task.
- Three conditions were tested: anatomical hand, myoelectric prosthetic hand simulator, and prosthetic simulator with reduced grip uncertainty (Velcro).
- Measurements included task performance, gaze behavior via eye-tracking, and self-reported mental workload.
Main Results:
- Prosthetic hand use, regardless of grip uncertainty, resulted in slower performance, impaired eye-hand coordination, and increased mental workload compared to the anatomical hand.
- Reducing grip uncertainty with Velcro significantly improved prosthesis control, eye-hand coordination, and reduced mental workload compared to the un-modified prosthesis.
- Participants demonstrated enhanced prosthetic hand control and reduced cognitive burden when grip uncertainty was experimentally minimized.
Conclusions:
- Minimizing grip uncertainty is a promising strategy to enhance early learning and control of myoelectric prostheses.
- This approach may help reduce the cognitive burden associated with prosthetic use, potentially decreasing device abandonment.
- Further research into sensory feedback and grip uncertainty reduction could lead to more intuitive and effective prosthetic devices.
