A comparative study of virtual hand prosthesis control using an inductive tongue control system

ABSTRACT

This study compares the time required to activate a grasp or function of a hand prosthesis when using an electromyogram (EMG) based control scheme and when using a control scheme combining EMG and control signals from an inductive tongue control system (ITCS). Using a cross-over study design, 10 able-bodied subjects used a computer model of a hand and completed simulated grasping exercises. The time required to activate grasps was recorded and analyzed for both control schemes. End session mean activation times (ATs; seconds) for the EMG control scheme grasps 1 -5 were 0.80, 1.51, 1.95, 2.93, and 3.42; for the ITCS control scheme grasps 1 ‒5 they were 1.19, 1.89, 1.75, 2.26, and 1.80. Mean AT for grasps 1 and 2 was statistically significant in favor of the EMG control scheme (p = 0.030; p = 0.004). For grasp 3 no statistical significance occurred, and for grasps 4 and 5 there was a statistical significance in favour of the ITCS control scheme (p = 0.048; p = 0.004). Based on the amount of training and the achieved level of performance, it is concluded that the proposed ITCS control scheme can be used as a means of enhancing prosthesis control.

KEYWORDS:

• myoelectric control
• prosthesis control schemes
• upper limb prosthetics

Acknowledgements

Henrik Vie Christensen, PhD, is acknowledged for his help with both hard- and software design and debugging.

Funding

This work was supported in part by Bevica Innovation A/S, The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation. No conflicts exists to the contents of this article for any of the authors.

Supplemental material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by Bevica Innovation A/S, The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation. No conflicts exists to the contents of this article for any of the authors.