Control of bilateral stimulated hand grasp and release by monitoring ipsilateral wrist joint angle in persons with tetraplegia

Proportional control of stimulated hand grasp has been achieved in both hands simultaneously in a person with tetraplegia and this control has been assessed. Wrist joint angle was monitored for actuating hand movements and the sensitivity of the controller was assessed by instrumenting the hands and asking the user to perform tracking tasks by opening and closing his hands. The performance of the user indicated a low sensitivity to target size (in the moderate to small range) and to target position. For qualifying users, this is likely to be an improved method of control for bilateral stimulated hand grasps over other methods suggested in the past