Using Augmented Reality to Train for the Tact Myoelectric Prosthetic

by Shannon O'Sullivan

Life after an amputation means adjusting to a society made for people with two hands and two feet, and the process is made even more difficult when access to affordable and function prostheses is scarce. With at least 30 million people with amputations in low-income countries, 80% of them cannot afford prosthetic care, with the leading prosthetic hands on the market ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 (Slade, Akhtar, Nguyen, & Bretl, 2015). Goals in current research on the development of prostheses involve increasing functionality and affordability, and the most promising path researchers pursue combines neuroscience and computer science. In Tact: Design and Performance of an Open-Source, Affordable, Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand by Patrick Slade, Aadeel Akhtar, Mary Nguyen, and Timothy Bretl, the researchers propose a solution to the unmet demand for prostheses in low-income countries. By utilizing 3D printing and off-the-shelf components, researchers have created the Tact: a myoelectric prosthetic hand that either meets or exceeds the capabilities of the world’s leading prostheses, all while costing only $250. Due to the nature of its assembly, its low cost, and the assembly instructions available online, the hope is that amputees in low-income countries will have easy access to the supplies. Working together with organizations such as Range of Motion Project (ROMP) to facilitate the equal distribution of prostheses across the globe, the Tact changes the paradigm of what healthcare means for amputees in low-income countries.

However groundbreaking the combination of 3D printing and myoelectric prostheses, the problem arises of how to properly train amputees to use their new hand. In order to efficiently use a myoelectric prosthetic, the amputee must learn how to control the level of muscle activation and the isolation of particular muscles; unfortunately, problems such as inadequate training methods, initial discomfort of prosthetic, and a delay between amputation and receiving the prosthetic prevent training from occurring (Anderson & Bischof, 2012). If the delay in receiving the prosthetic is too long, most amputees will not use their prosthetic, so the initiation of training before the prosthetic arrives is seen as a key component to making myoelectric prostheses useful. Hence, the Tact will work if the proper training is administered in a time efficient manner to amputees, or otherwise the advantages of this new development in prostheses are lost on the user.

In Augmented Reality Improves Myoelectric Prosthesis Training (Anderson & al., 2012), the researchers make the argument that their software interface, the Augmented Reality Myoelectric (ARM) Trainer, will help increase the utility of myoelectric prostheses among amputees. The ARM Trainer requires only a computer, a webcam, and an EMG amplifier, and is also easy to configure and use, making it an optimal training method for amputees in low-income countries where physical therapists may be scarce.  By showing the amputee live footage of themselves and applying a virtual arm over the amputated region which contracts in correlation with the amputee’s own muscles, the ARM Trainer allows for amputees to train for the use of their real prosthetic through a game called Space ARMada. Space ARMada allows users to shoot down virtual spaceships using their virtual arm as a cannon, with the use of specific hand contractions allowing for cannon control. The results indicate increased competency of muscle use, decreased effort necessary for muscle contractions, and an overall better experience for participants using the ARM Trainer in comparison to current methods of myoelectric prosthetic training.

Through combining the functional and affordable Tact with the promising benefits of the augmented reality training found in the ARM trainer, healthcare for amputees in low-income countries can reach an all-time high. Also, Space ARMada training is a valuable resource for preparation against future real alien attacks, which unfortunately gets so little government funding.


References

Anderson, F., & Bischof, W. F. (2012) Augmented reality improves myoelectric prosthesis        training. Proc. 9^th Intl Conf. Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies. Laval, France

Slade, P., Akhtar, A., Nguyen, M., & Bretl, T. (2015). Tact: Design and performance of an

            open-source , affordable, myoelectric prosthetic hand. The International Conference on

            Robotics and Automation, Seattle, WA.