Mechanisms for enabling closed-loop upper limb sensorimotor prosthetic control

Myoelectric upper limb prostheses are limited in their ability to provide sensory feedback to a user. The lack of sensory feedback forces prosthesis users to rely on visual feedback alone in manipulating objects, and often leads to abandonment of the prosthesis in favor of the user's unimpaired arm. Consequently, there is a critical need to develop mechanisms that enable people with upper limb amputations to be able to receive sensory feedback from the environment. The goal of this dissertation is to describe the development and evaluation of various mechanisms that enable simultaneous myoelectric control of hand prostheses with proprioceptive and touch/pressure feedback. Sensory feedback is enabled through the use of a passive skin stretch mechanism for proprioception (Chapter 2), an epidermal electronic device that can provide electrotactile stimulation (Chapter 3), and a custom-built prosthetic hand that relays contact and pressure information from the fingertips (Chapter 4). In each of these chapters, motor control is simultaneously enabled through the use of electromyographic sensors. The remainder of the dissertation focuses on a method of enabling long-term wear of electrotactile stimulation electrodes by modeling (Chapter 5) and controlling (Chapter 6) sensation intensity in response to changes in the impedance of the electrode-skin interface. The techniques described in this dissertation have the potential to improve prosthesis embodiment for a person with an upper limb amputation, with the ultimate goal of reducing prosthesis abandonment and improving quality of life.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Neuroscience

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Akhtar, Aadeel

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bretl, Timothy
• Hargrove, Levi
• Hsiao-Wecksler, Elizabeth T.
• Nelson, Mark

• proprioception
• myoelectric control
• electromyography
• prosthetics
• amputation
• electrotactile stimulation
• sensory substitution
• robotic hand
• low-cost
• epidermal electronics
• haptic feedback

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Aadeel Akhtar

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95247

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/95247