Providing hand posture information via a 3-DOF tactile sensory substitution system

Abstract

Motorized prostheses provides functional improvements to their users, but they lack tactile and proprioceptive senses. Different approaches have been studied to implement sensory feedback in these devices. Sensory substitution is a method for implementing sensory feedback noninvasively. In this method, a different sense (or sensory organ) is used to deliver sensory information related to a lost sense (or sensory organ). In this paper, we proposed to provide proprioceptive information to users through probes sliding on skin. The device, which is attached on the forearm, has three probes representing thumb, index and the remaining fingers. The probes are moved by linear servo motors. Six subjects were tested to differentiate six hand postures based on the information from the device. Their performance was significantly higher than the chance level. Also, there was no statistically significant systematical errors in differentiating hand postures. Therefore, the device is promising for providing proprioceptive feedback in prostheses. © 2020 Turkish Chambers of Electrical Engineers.