PROLIMB II - A Sensorimotor PROsthesis for the upper LIMB
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Professor Joseph Hardwicke
University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust
Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council
To investigate the feasibility of using a prosthetic fingertip digit with integrated mechanical haptic feedback (PROLIMB II prosthesis) on patients who have had one or more fingers/thumb amputated.
Single centre feasibility pilot study
Surgery
10
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. Most are basic variations on the hook and claw. Lower limb prostheses have become extremely technologically advanced in their design and materials, and upper limbs lag behind in all of these areas. This is due to the complexity of the anatomy and function of the upper limbs compared to the lower. There are no commercially available prostheses that offers direct sensory feedback and as such, rely on visual feedback from the wearer.
The vision of the PROLIMB II project is to develop and combine mechanistic models of hand motion and haptic sensing to deliver novel, affordable body-powered prosthetic fingertip digits with enhanced motion and sensation to address current clinical needs and support the quality of life of amputees. With collaboration from the University of Warwick (UoW) and University College London (UCL), Steeper Group and Naked Prosthetics the PROLIMB II study will aim to model, design, fabricate and validate an affordable body-powered prosthetic fingertip digit with integrated sensory feedback. The University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) will provide the clinical facility with which to assess the comfort, usability and acceptance of this prosthetic in the daily lives of patients with digit amputations.
This project will be a proof of concept study with verification of the prosthetic in motion capture (gait) laboratories as well as the use of simple validation data collection over a longer period.
01/06/2022
12 months
Tel: 02476 966197 Email: prolimbstudyoffice@uhcw.nhs.uk
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