Powered prosthetic hand function: Design issues and visual feedback

Quality Function Deployment, a modern design methodology, was used to integrate consumer-based inputs from a survey of prosthetists and therapists with technical considerations from a team of engineers. To provide the greatest functional benefit to users of electromechanical prosthetic hands, visual feedback was identified from several factors to be a prime design consideration that could be influenced by the geometric configuration of the hand.;A novel experimental procedure quantifying both visual feedback and grasping performance was devised. Results from three natural handed subjects and six prosthesis users identified common patterns of visibility. Correlations were identified between the ability for the subject to see each of 32 defined segments of the hand and the time required to perform the grasp. Results suggest that compensatory motions necessary to achieve the desired visual feedback may have an important influence upon the grasping performance of users of electromechanical prosthetic hands.