Evaluation of the Skin Fixation Method of a Haptic Device to Provide Proprioceptive Information for a Sensory Feedback Prosthesis

In order to restore the sensory feedback lost due to the loss of the upper extremity, several researchers have proposed different solutions, among which skin stretching stands out to transmit proprioceptive information through different fixation methods, for which it is essential to evaluate the most effective. Consequently, with the purpose of contributing to said study, the present research work evaluated neoprene foam and double-sided adhesive tape by means of a longitudinal skin-stretching haptic device in 10 healthy participants by transmitting proprioceptive information, whose measurement was carried out at through two subjective quantitative surveys based on the mirror box experiment. The results revealed that there are no statistically significant differences between both methods when providing proprioceptive information (p=0.206); Likewise, the viability of neoprene foam is highlighted due to its non-adhesive nature, as it is qualified by the respondents as a more natural stimulus and the perception of an "imaginary tendon" during its use. It is thus concluded that the exposed paired modality method and neoprene foam as a fixation method is a viable solution to transmit proprioceptive information to users of mielectric prostheses, which could increase the rate of acceptance of prostheses with sensory feedback.