A review on the advancements in the field of upper limb prosthesis

J Med Eng Technol. 2018 Oct;42(7):532-545. doi: 10.1080/03091902.2019.1576793. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Abstract

Amputation is one of the serious issue across the globe which is mainly caused by trauma, medical illness or congenital condition. Because of steep increase in amputation incidences, the need for progress in technicality of prosthesis is becoming imperative. In this article, the journey of advancements in upper arm prosthesis has been discussed step by step. Moreover, it has also been enunciated that how from a simple replacement for an arm it now has reached the mark of giving a patient a fully functional limb with the help of sensors and myoelectric transducers that are able to translate the remaining muscle signals into full movement of the prosthesis. However, researches are still going on to make the design of the prosthetic more impressive having better range of movement, to establish its interface with brain more efficiently and to make the control of prosthetic more user friendly. In this review, a special emphasis has also been given to myoelectric prosthesis as this prosthetic system possesses a decisive influence on rehabilitation results. Moreover, this prosthetic system is extremely elegant and cutting-edge in both design and technology and offers a great wearer comfort.

Keywords: Electromyography (EMG) signals; Prosthesis; myoelectric prosthetics; sensors; upper arm.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Arm
  • Artificial Limbs*
  • Humans
  • Prosthesis Design