Why doesn’t a prosthetic hand always do what it’s told?

Chadwell, AEA; Prince, M; Head, JS; Galpin, AJ; Thies, SBA; Kenney, LPJ

doi:10.3389/frym.2022.786663

Why doesn’t a prosthetic hand always do what it’s told?

Chadwell, AEA; Prince, M; Head, JS; Galpin, AJ; Thies, SBA; Kenney, LPJ

Authors

AEA Chadwell

M Prince

JS Head

Dr Adam Galpin A.J.Galpin@salford.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer

Dr Sibylle Thies S.Thies@salford.ac.uk
Associate Professor/Reader

Prof Laurence Kenney L.P.J.Kenney@salford.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

There are online videos which appear to show electrically-powered prosthetic hands to be nearperfect replacements for a missing hand (e.g. https://youtu.be/F_brnKz_2tI). However, for
many users, the reality can be different. Prosthetic hands don’t always respond as expected
which can be frustrating.
The hand is controlled by muscle signals in the remaining part of the person’s affected arm,
using sensors called electrodes. The electrodes are embedded within the socket, which is the
part of the prosthetic arm that connects it to their arm. When they activate their muscles, the
hand can open, close, or change the grip.
If the socket moves, it can pull the electrodes away from the skin. As a result, the muscle
activity signalling the person’s intention cannot be properly detected, and the hand will not
work very well. In this paper we explain why socket fit may be the most important part of a
prosthetic arm.

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jan 19, 2022
Online Publication Date	Sep 15, 2022
Publication Date	Sep 15, 2022
Deposit Date	Jan 20, 2022
Publicly Available Date	Jun 19, 2024
Journal	Frontiers for Young Minds
Print ISSN	2296-6846
Electronic ISSN	2296-6846
Publisher	Frontiers Media
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2022.786663
Publisher URL	https://kids.frontiersin.org/