Virtual Reality as a Platform for Upper-Limb Prosthetic Control Modes Evaluation and Early-Stage Design

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Prosthetics Design

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) offers a potential platform for developing and evaluating upper-limb prostheses.
• Comparing VR with physical devices (PD) is crucial for understanding VR's limitations and benefits in prosthetic design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate VR as a platform for early-stage upper-limb prosthesis design and evaluation.
• To compare performance, cognitive workload, and usability across different prosthetic control modes (Direct Control, Pattern Recognition, Continuous Control) in both VR and PD settings.

Main Methods:

• Three control modes (DC, PR, CC) were tested in both VR and PD environments.
• Task performance, cognitive workload, and usability were measured for each mode and setting.
• Analysis focused on differences and consistencies between VR and PD evaluations.

Main Results:

• Task performance was generally lower in VR than PD for DC and CC modes, attributed to reduced haptic feedback and spatial demands.
• PR mode demonstrated consistent performance across VR and PD, showing resilience to VR's sensory limitations.
• Cognitive workload varied: DC had lower workload in VR due to visual aids, while PR and CC had higher workload in VR due to simulation control demands.
• Usability was consistent across settings and control modes, validating VR for early evaluation.

Conclusions:

• VR is a reliable and potentially cost-effective platform for early-stage prosthetic evaluation and algorithm refinement.
• Pattern Recognition control is well-suited for VR-based prosthetic development.
• Enhancements like haptic feedback are needed to improve VR's applicability for advanced prosthetic design and development.