Virtual reality can mediate the learning phase of upper limb prostheses supporting a better-informed selection process

With the emergence of sophisticated bionic prostheses for upper limb amputees, the selection of the most appropriate device for each individual might become a challenge. Owing to the cost and complexity of such devices and the required time to learn their usage, it would be relevant to facilitate access to a wide range of them for intensive testing in ecological environments. In this paper, we report the development of a virtual reality setup that emulates three representative bionic prostheses and their key grasp selection methods. Twelve able-bodied participants and one transradial amputee participated in a study whose objective was to assess the influence of this setup in quantifying the perceived usability of the virtualised devices, and thus to guide a better-informed selection process of a preferred device based on the most suitable grip selection method for each individual. Results show that the user learning curve with the three simulated devices and their perceived usability was different, and that this had an influence on the final device selection. In particular, more than half of the users changed their favorite device after the experiment in virtual reality. In sum, this paper provides a proof of concept that virtual reality is a valuable tool to support a better-informed selection process of an upper limb myoelectric prosthesis that is personalized to individual preferences and capabilities by mediating its learning phase.