Wu Guangfei, Gu Wenqing, Luo Yi, Zhang Xin, Li Lei, Hou Jingming, Deng Haoyue, Hou Wensheng, Chen Lin, Wang Xing
IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2025;33:2967-2976. doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2025.3593354.
Sensory substitution technologies represent a significant advancement in modern prosthetics, with hybrid tactile feedback approaches gaining increasing attention. However, limited studies have examined the role of hybrid tactile feedback in closed-loop prosthetic control, particularly in relation to varying visual conditions. This study employed a 2-factor mixed design involving 10 non-disabled participants and 3 transradial amputees. Three visual conditions-Optimal Vision, Limited Vision, and Blocked Vision were tested. Participants performed prosthetic wrist and hand position-matching tasks utilizing vibrotactile, electrotactile, and hybrid vibro-electrotactile (HyVE) feedback modes provided by a custom-developed prosthetic position feedback control system. Outcome measures included categorical analysis of task completion outcomes, control precision error (CPE), completion time (CT), and feedback preference. The HyVE feedback mode elevated success rates across all visual conditions, while effectively reducing the incidence of errors and confusion trials. Compared to electrotactile mode, HyVE yielded significantly lower CPE, and compared to vibrotactile mode, it enabled significantly shorter CT. Furthermore, 7 out of 13 participants (>50%) selected HyVE as their preferred feedback mode. The proposed HyVE tactile feedback method effectively combines the advantages of electrotactile and vibrotactile stimulation, mitigating their respective limitations. It enables accurate perception of prosthetic motion without the need for continuous visual monitoring, showing significant potential for enhancing everyday prosthetic functionality.
感觉替代技术是现代假肢领域的一项重大进展，混合触觉反馈方法越来越受到关注。然而，关于混合触觉反馈在闭环假肢控制中的作用，特别是在不同视觉条件下的作用，相关研究较少。本研究采用两因素混合设计，涉及10名非残疾参与者和3名经桡骨截肢者。测试了三种视觉条件——最佳视力、有限视力和失明。参与者利用定制开发的假肢位置反馈控制系统提供的振动触觉、电触觉和混合振动-电触觉（HyVE）反馈模式，执行假肢手腕和手部位置匹配任务。结果测量包括任务完成结果的分类分析、控制精度误差（CPE）、完成时间（CT）和反馈偏好。HyVE反馈模式在所有视觉条件下提高了成功率，同时有效降低了错误和混淆试验的发生率。与电触觉模式相比，HyVE产生的CPE显著更低，与振动触觉模式相比，它使CT显著更短。此外，13名参与者中有7名（>50%）选择HyVE作为他们首选的反馈模式。所提出的HyVE触觉反馈方法有效地结合了电触觉和振动触觉刺激的优点，减轻了它们各自的局限性。它能够在无需持续视觉监测的情况下准确感知假肢运动，显示出增强日常假肢功能的巨大潜力。
