Résumé
Myoelectric hand prostheses have the potential to improve
the quality of life of hand amputees. Still, the rejection rate of functional
prostheses in the adult population is high. One of the causes is the long
time for fitting the prosthesis and the lack of feedback during training.
Moreover, prosthesis control is often unnatural and requires mental effort
during the training. Virtual and augmented reality devices can help to
improve these difficulties and reduce phantom limb pain. Amputees can
start training the residual limb muscles with a weightless virtual hand
earlier than possible with a real prosthesis. When activating the muscles
related to a specific grasp, the subjects receive a visual feedback from
the virtual hand. To the best of our knowledge, this work presents one
of the first portable augmented reality environment for transradial amputees
that combines two devices available on the market: the Microsoft
HoloLens and the Thalmic labs Myo. In the augmented environment,
rendered by the HoloLens, the user can control a virtual hand with surface
electromyography. By using the virtual hand, the user can move
objects in augmented reality and train to activate the right muscles for
each movement through visual feedback. The environment presented represents
a resource for rehabilitation and for scientists. It helps hand amputees
to train using prosthetic hands right after the surgery. Scientists
can use the environment to develop real time control experiments, without
the logistical disadvantages related to dealing with a real prosthetic
hand but with the advantages of a realistic visual feedback.