This observational study compared two types of tendon-actuated prosthetic hands. One hand used geometry derived from human biology and adaptive force distribution, while the other used a generalized anthropomorphic shape. The study involved 12 participants who did not have limb differences. They performed various tasks to measure performance, physical effort, mental workload, and frustration levels.
The new hand design significantly improved overall task performance and reduced physical effort, mental workload, and frustration compared to the standard model. These benefits were most noticeable during gross motor tasks. For fine motor tasks, performance improved only under stable conditions. The new design did not show improvement during tasks requiring dynamic precision and continuous coordination.
No safety concerns or adverse events were reported during the study. Readers should note that because the participants did not have limb differences, these findings may not generalize to amputees. The study also showed that performance gains were limited to stable conditions, meaning the new design has specific strengths and limitations.
This research supports the idea that biomimetic principles can enhance user experience, but it is an early study with a small group of able-bodied participants. More research is needed to determine if these results apply to people with limb differences or during more complex, dynamic movements.
