Adaptive Diagnostic Tooling for Customized Upper Limb Prosthetic Socket Fitment

Dexterous arms, despite the promise they bring of significant enhancements to current technology, are subordinate to the socket that interfaces with the user. The numerous and distinct challenges present at this level of amputation together with the dearth of clinicians with upper limb expertise capable of creating a functionally superior socket present a formidable threat to user acceptance and the ability to maximize the performance of the advanced arm of the future. In response to these challenges, we propose the creation of a Sensorized Imager Tool (SIT) that will guide the clinician, expert or novice, in the proper data acquisition, creation and fitment of a functionally superior interface capable of meeting and exceeding the demands of both the dexterous arm and its operator. The SIT will also be paired with a Sensorized Socket Tool (SST) paving the way for the worlds first smart interface capable of capturing and controlling the underlying skeletal structure of the target limb. Through a series of adaptive, reactive and predictive responses to internal and external stimuli the interface will maintain absolute comfort and safety while concurrently providing maximum performance ranging from casual civilian use to the extreme demands of todays and tomorrows warfighter.