2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Embodiment of the prosthetic hand

Research Project

Project/Area Number	24650361
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
Research Institution	国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター(研究所)
Principal Investigator	KAWASHIMA Noritaka 国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター(研究所), 研究所運動機能系障害研究部, 室長 (30392195)
Project Period (FY)	2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
Keywords	身体性 / 義手 / 切断 / 幻肢 / 幻肢痛
Research Abstract	Based on the recent progress of knowledge regarding neural mechanisms underlying phantom limb and the phenomenon of tool embodiment, we aimed to develop a novel forearm prosthesis which involves high reality and natural behavior. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of prosthetic embodiment of the tool by observing adaptive process to attached realistic prosthetic finger. we attempted two types of experiment; one is to observe short-term adaptation to the experimental finger extension for healthy subjects, another is to observe long-term adaptive process (tool embodiment) if a forearm amputee wear newly developed realistic hand. We observed an enhancement of the sensory perception in response to noxious stimulation onto not only the realistic artificial finger in healthy subjects, but also the realistic hand prosthesis in amputee. These results imply that reality is necessary element for facilitating the process of tool embodiment.