Biomechanically-Consistent Skin Stretch as an Intuitive Mechanism for Sensory Feedback: A Preliminary Investigation in the Lower Limb

The proprioceptive loss accompanied by lower limb amputation can impair function and mobility. We explore a simple, mechanical skin-stretch array configured to generate superficial tissue behaviour that might occur with movement about an intact joint. Four adhesive pads attached around the circumference of the lower leg were connected via cords to a remote “foot” mounted on a ball joint attached to the underside of a fracture boot, such that “foot” reorientation would result in skin stretch. In two discrimination experiments performed with and without the connection, with no view of the mechanism, and with minimal training, unimpaired adults (i) estimated foot orientation following passive foot rotations (eight directions), either with or without contact between the lower leg and boot, and (ii) actively lowered the “foot” to estimate slope orientation (four directions). In (i), 56-60% of responses (depending on contact condition) were correct and 88-94% were either correct or one of the two adjacent choices. In (ii), 56% of responses were correct. In contrast, without the connection, participants performed near or no different to chance. A biomechanically-consistent skin stretch array may be an intuitive means to convey proprioceptive information from an artificial or poorly innervated joint.