Design and evaluation of a prosthesis control system based on the concept of extended physiological proprioception

This paper describes the design and evaluation of an experimental prosthesis-control system based on the concept of extended physiological proprioception (EPP). It was originally hypothesized that EPP control effected by residual shoulder motion could be effectively applied in multifunctional prostheses for shoulder disarticulation amputees. The experimental system developed for this study utilized a force-driven control scheme and a shoulder motion transduction system in which direct cable linkages to the prosthesis components were used to implement EPP position-servo relationships between shoulder elevation-depression and prosthesis elbow flexion, and between shoulder protraction-retraction and prosthesis wrist rotation. The results of experiments performed with this prosthesis (and with an experimental velocity-controlled prosthesis implemented for comparison purposes) clearly demonstrated the superior performance provided by EPP control of prosthesis function.