Haptic feedback in lower-limb prosthesis: Combined haptic feedback and EMG control of a powered prosthesis

With the incidence of disease related lower limb amputation on the rise in the United States, a decrease in the requisite time for rehabilitation is needed to ensure a better prognosis for patients. It is proposed that the incorporation of a haptic feedback training aid would do just this. This research has experimentally investigated the usage of two haptic feedback systems in conveying information pertinent to completing a single degree of freedom non-weight bearing motion tracking task in an otherwise perceptually devoid environment. This research has concluded that the usage of a sustained pressure haptic feedback modality leads to significantly improved performance when operating an electromyogram (EMG) controlled virtual or powered prosthetic limb without other perceptual input. This finding reinforces the proposed usefulness of haptic feedback in the rehabilitative setting.