AN INEXPENSIVE AND ADAPTABLE PROSTHETIC WRIST IMPROVES DEXTERITY AND REDUCES COMPENSATORY MOVEMENTS

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Science
• Prosthetics and Orthotics

Background:

• Many upper-limb prostheses lack functional wrist articulation.
• This limits dexterity and can lead to compensatory movements in amputees.
• Developing cost-effective and adaptable prosthetic solutions is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an inexpensive, adaptable prosthetic wrist.
• To assess the functional and cognitive impact of using a prosthetic wrist during daily activities.
• To compare task performance, compensatory movements, and cognitive load with and without wrist control.

Main Methods:

• Development of an inexpensive prosthetic wrist compatible with various sockets.
• Utilizing surface electromyography (EMG) for prosthetic wrist control.
• Transradial amputees performed a Clothespin Relocation Task (CRT) with and without the prosthetic wrist.
• Measurement of task success rate, compensatory movements (e.g., hip bend), and cognitive load (NASA-TLX, secondary task response time).

Main Results:

• The prosthetic wrist condition showed a significantly higher success rate (61%) compared to the no-wrist condition.
• Reduced compensatory movements were observed, with less hip bending in the wrist condition.
• No significant increase in cognitive load was detected with the addition of wrist control.

Conclusions:

• An inexpensive prosthetic wrist can enhance dexterity and reduce joint strain for upper-limb amputees.
• Prosthetic wrist use improves functional task performance without a significant cognitive burden.
• These findings support the integration of functional prosthetic wrists in future upper-limb prosthesis designs and prescriptions.