Improving internal model strength and performance of prosthetic hands using augmented feedback.

We extended our previous work and accomplished the first steps on a path towards bridging the gap between research and clinical usability of a hand prosthesis. The main goal was to assess whether the ability to decouple internal model strength and motion variability using the continuous audio-augmented feedback extended to real-world use, where the inherent mechanical variability and dynamics in the mechanisms may contribute to a more complicated interplay between internal model formation and motion variability. We concluded that benefits of using audio-augmented feedback for improving internal model strength of myoelectric controllers extend beyond a virtual target acquisition task to include control of a prosthetic hand.