Cognitive Workload and Usability of Virtual Reality Simulation for Prosthesis Training

Amputees use prosthetic devices to perform activities of daily living. However, some users reject their devices due to the lack of usability or high cognitive workload. Although virtual reality has been studied in this domain for training purposes, there has not been any investigation on usability and cognitive workload of using virtual reality simulations for training of prosthetic devices. The objective of this study was to compare cognitive workload and usability of using virtual reality-based simulation of electromyography based prosthetic devices and physical devices. The findings suggested that using virtual reality simulations were helpful in reducing cognitive workload and increasing perceived usability of prosthetic devices.

I. Introduction

More than 2.1 million amputees live in the U.S., and about 190,000 amputations occur yearly [1]. Prosthetic devices are essential for amputees to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) [2]. However, a lack of usability in these devices can lead to poor utilization and rejection by users [3]. Using prosthetic devices also requires substantial cognitive or mental resources, possibly leading to device rejection [4]. Previous studies found that devices that impose high cognitive workload (CW) can reduce task performance, resulting in user dissatisfaction, reduced device usability, frustration, and ultimately device rejection [5].