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Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed a new artificial joint that can restore wrist movements to amputated forearms.
In the new system, an implant is placed both in the ulna and in the radius – the two bones of the forearm – with an artificial joint serving as an interface between the two implants and the prosthetic hand. The whole configuration allows for more naturalistic movements with intuitive natural controls and a sense of touch.
"Our new device provides a much more natural range of motion, minimizing the need for compensatory movements of the shoulder or torso, which could significantly improve the daily lives of many forearm amputees," said biomedical engineer Irene Boni, in charge of the project. as an international student visiting Chalmers, said in a statement.
One of the most difficult problems for those who miss a hand is the inability to rotate their wrist for everyday tasks such as turning a doorknob or simply spilling an item such as a wrist. piece of paper.
"A forearm amputee can use a motorized wrist rotator controlled by electrical signals from the remaining muscles," said Max Ortiz Catalan, an badociate professor in the Chalmers Electrical Engineering Department. "However, these same signals are also used to control the prosthetic hand.
"The result is a very cumbersome and unnatural control scheme, in which patients can only activate the prosthetic wrist or the hand at the same time and must switch," he added. "In addition, patients receive no sensory feedback, so they have no feeling of position or movement of the hand."
Patients who have lost both the hand and the wrist often retain enough musculature to rotate the radius on the ulna. A conventional prosthesis, attached to the body by compressing the stump, blocks the bones and prevents any possible wrist rotation.
"Depending on the level of amputation, it is possible that most biological actuators and sensors remain available for wrist rotation," said Ortiz Catalan. "It allows you to feel, for example, when you turn a key to start a car.
"You do not look behind the wheel to see where to turn, you feel it," he added. "Our new innovation means that you do not have to sacrifice this useful movement because of a poor technological solution, such as an interlocking prosthesis. You can continue to do it in a natural way. "
Artificial articulation works with an osseointegrated implant system developed by Integrum AB, a company based in Sweden that has been badociated with Chalmers as part of the project.
The study was published in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.
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