The purpose of this phase I project is to provide prosthesis capable of multiple movements to the tens of thousands of U.S. citizens who are confronted with the loss of an upper extremity, either through birth defect, injury, or disease. There have been no significant advances in the technology of upper extremity prostheses since WWII when the basic pinch concept was developed. We propose in this study a foot controlled device which has been demonstrated to provide 8 channels of independent movements when transmitted by wireless means to a prosthetic hand. The three important aspects must first be answered to determine the feasibility of this concept: 1) the degree of toe dexterity attainable to provide meaningful hand movements, 2) the development of a training regimen to accomplish this, 3) the material makeup of a shoe sole insert to house the foot sensor electronics. With the attainment of these tasks, the project is set to move forward to Phase II, where the concentration would be on the refinement of the artificial hand, the foot control, and evaluation tools; as well as, the manufacture of hand and foot control devices for clinical trials, all leading to its commercial availability. Achieving this goal will give assurances to its recipients that they, too, can be a part of the technology revolution.
