SOCKET-BIOEMO project

Summary

The development of artificial hands has experienced considerable growth in recent years, especially in the field of 3D printing, which allows easy customization at a low cost. However, studies devoted to the design of sockets for upper limb prostheses are still very limited, despite the fact that this is a particularly relevant part of the prosthesis, since it is the one in direct contact with the patient's stump. In fact, the poor fit of the socket is one of the main factors of rejection of the prostheses. However, as observed in the literature, the upgrowth experienced by the field of 3D-printed hand prostheses offers a great potential to develop new methodologies for the design and manufacturing of prosthetic sockets, providing an alternative to traditional methods, which are uncomfortable for the patient and have low reproducibility. Thus, this project aims to address both the improvement of the design of the sockets and their manufacturing process. On one side, the design process to improve the comfort and stability of the socket will imply experimental analyses of both biomechanical and emotional aspects. Biomechanical aspects such as the interface pressure between the socket and the stump, stresses applied, and transpirability will be studied in order to obtain an improved socket, finding a compromise between stiffness and flexibility, as well as between lightening the socket without losing strength. The emotional aspects will be evaluated by studying the perception of users in terms of comfort, invasiveness of the manufacturing process, aesthetics or functionality, in order to improve the design while attending to users’ perception. On the other side, a manufacturing protocol in order to make the socket easily reproducible, customizable and affordable will be developed. This protocol should be easily executable, defining the steps to manufacture the socket with 3D scanning and printing technologies. All this would allow designing and manufacturing a socket that better fits the needs of patients, helping to reduce the rejection rate and increasing the patients’ quality of life.