Assessment of Body-Powered Upper Limb Prostheses by Able-Bodied Subjects, using the Box and Blocks Test and the Nine Hole Peg Test

Study Design: Experimental trial. Background: The functional performance of currently available body-powered prostheses is unknown. Objective: The goal of this study was to objectively assess and compare the functional performance of three commonly used body-powered upper limb terminal devices. Methods: Twenty-one able-bodied subjects (n=21, age...

Comparison of mechanical properties of silicone and PVC (polyvinylchloride) cosmetic gloves for articulating hand prostheses

Current articulating electric and body-powered hands have a lower pinch force (15–34 N) than electric hands with stiff fingers (55–100 N). The cosmetic glove, which covers a hand prosthesis, negatively affects the mechanical efficiency of a prosthesis. The goal of this study is to mechanically compare polyvinylchloride (PVC) and silicone...

Natural grasping, design and evaluation of a voluntary closing adaptive hand prosthesis

Replacement of a missing hand by an artificial alternative remains one of the biggest challenges in rehabilitation. Although many different terminal devices are available, around 27% of the amputees does not actively use their device and 20% totally refrains from wearing it. There are various reasons for prosthesis abandonment, e.g. wearing...