A sensorimotor PROsthesis for the upper LIMB (PROLIMB)

Lead Research Organisation: University of Warwick
Department Name: Sch of Engineering

Abstract

The finger and fingertip are the most frequently amputated body parts, due to work-related incidents. Yet because of space, weight and cost constraints, prosthetic fingers and fingertips are heavy and bulky with limited active motion and sensation.

The aim of this project is to model, design, fabricate and validate an affordable body-powered prosthetic fingertip digit with integrated mechanical haptic feedback. It will do this by combining synergetic expertise in developing parameterised mathematical models of limb motion from the University of Warwick (UoW) and in creating soft, stiffness-controllable robotic structures and haptic feedback interfaces from University College London (UCL). Of key importance is its transformative nature, which we will achieve through close collaboration with (1) clinical experts from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) and the UHCW Innovation Hub, who will provide consultation and clinical input throughout; and (2) strategic project partners, namely the Steeper Group and Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA, world leaders in the development of prosthetic devices; the Global Disability Hub CIC (GDI Hub), working with local communities, academics, experts and disabled people to drive innovation, co-design and collaboration; and e-NABLE, a worldwide charity that creates free protheses for those in need of an upper limb assistance.

The objectives of the project are therefore: 1). to obtain an in-depth understanding of finger(tip) movements to recover hand functionality and the development of novel mathematical models that can accurately characterise and reproduce such movements. this will be achieved through the generation of a comprehensive portfolio of human hand grasps used in current everyday activities and validated mathematical models that can reproduce such taxonomies, compared to pre-existing models. 2). To create a pneumatically actuated, body-powered prosthetic fingertip with integrated haptic sensing feedback. This will be achieved through analysis comparing the design capabilities of the prosthetic fingertip when compared to human finger motion, testing the forces exerted using the prosthetic fingertip using appropriate experimental techniques. 3). To perform complete integration and validation of the mathematical models and body-powered prosthetic fingertip developed through verification in motion capture (gait) laboratories using patients in controlled environments as well as long-term validation studies.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Novel mathematical models have been generated that are able to characterise hand and digit motion accurately together with the generation of novel marker systems for capturing fine scale hand and digit motion in motion capture (gait laboratory) environments.
Exploitation Route Potentially commercialisation of the novel hand/digit marker systems for wider application.
Sectors Healthcare

 
Title Upskilling of PDRA Dr Manuela Trejo to support the research project 
Description Attendance and qualifications (certificates) achieved by the PDRA Dr Manuela Trejo to gain expertise in research methodologies to enrich project development and outcomes: o Machine Learning with Python. IBM. Issued Dec 2023. o Python Essentials. IBM. Issued Dec 2023. o Verified Certificate for Applications of TinyML. edX, HarvardX. Issued Dec 2023. o Verified Certificate for Fundamentals of TinyML. edX, HarvardX. Issued Nov 2023 support 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact Use of the skills developed to support the research project activity, in particular regarding the application of Machine Learning techniques for analysis of hand motion data collected as part of the PROLIMB project. 
 
Title Validation of the Warwick hand model. 
Description The model comprises a marker set and a kinematic model of the fingers that will be used to evaluate finger kinematics in laboratories using motion capture systems. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact The model reliability and accuracy was evaluated and currently a manuscript is in preparation for submission and publication. 
 
Description Oral presentation at the CDT Prosthetics and Orthotics Conference, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow UK. November 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Oral presentation at the CDT Prosthetics and Orthotics Conference, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow UK. November 2023 of the paper:
Trejo Ramirez, M. P., Evans, N., & Chappell, M. "Restoring the sense of touch: Development of a low cost, wearable and customizable haptic feedback system for prostheses".
Presented to researchers and practitioners in the fields of prosthetics and orthotics.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Poster presentation at at the BioMedEng 2022 conference held at UCL London (8-9 September, 2022). 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Presentation of a poster titled "The Warwick marker set for finger kinematic evaluation during activities of daily life" at the BioMedEng 2022 conference held at UCL London (8-9 September). The Warwick marker set was created using the advantages of previous marker sets and optimised for its use for hand tracking in laboratory settings. The Warwick marker set has shown capability in recording grasps from hand taxonomies reported in the literature and it has shown potential for machine learning applications for the automatic recognition of grasps.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Presentation at BioMedEng2023 Conference, Swansea Arena, September 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Presentation at the BioMedEng 2023 Conference, Swansea Arena, September 2023 under the title:
P.Tsakonas, N. D. Evans, J. Hardwicke, M. J. Chappell, "Estimating model parameters during cylindrical grasp"
Presentation to academic researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students together with medical practitioners.
Abstract appeared in the conference proceedings.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021,2023
 
Description Presentation at ISPO 19th World Congress. The Art and the Science. Prosthetics and Orthotics International. 47:170, April 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Paper presented and published in the Congress Proceedings:
Trejo Ramirez, M. P., Evans, M., Hardwicke, J., & Chappell, M. "Evaluation of gender differences in hand grasp and motion kinematics for finger prosthetic design, a pilot study" ISPO 19th World Congress. The Art and the Science. Prosthetics and Orthotics International. 47:170, April 2023.
Delivered to researchers and practitioners in the fields of prosthetics and orthotics.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Presentation at the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Presentation at the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Leon in Mexico (August 2022). Presentation titled "Enabling the future with affordable prosthetics", aimed at engineering undergraduate and high school students.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Presentation at the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Presentation at the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Leon in Mexico (August 2022). Presentation titled "Enabling the future with affordable prosthetics", aimed at engineering undergraduate and high school students.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022