Kullay: An Adaptive Haptic Feedback System for Mechanical and Myoelectric Upper Limb Prosthesis

Prosthetic arms are designed for the purpose of restoring function for those with upper limb amputation. Currently, there are significant advances in motorized robotic arms capable of a wide range of grips. However, such prostheses operate with control logic that is not designed to return the sensations of touch again. This absence of feedback signals prevents efficient use of the prosthesis. This paper develops the design of a haptic palm-finger feedback system that captures the sensations associated with finger proprioceptive, the force applied during grasping, as well as the sensation of impending object slippage to redirect these sensations over the user’s amputated section in a noninvasive manner with the goal of enabling the user to more dexterously control his or her prosthetic hand. In order to validate the proposed design, electronic simulations of the general operation of the system were carried out, as well as a finite element simulation of the structure of the actuation sub-system.