Finding a Natural Fit: A Thematic Analysis of Amputees’ Prosthesis Setting Preferences during User-Guided Auto-Tuning
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Yuan, Jing; Bai, Xiaolu; Alili, Abbas; Liu, Ming; Feng, Jing; Huang, He
- Source
- Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting; September 2023, Vol. 67 Issue: 1 p2591-2597, 7p
- Subject
- Language
- ISSN
- 10711813; 21695067
Amputees’ preferences for prosthesis settings are critical not only for their psychological well-being but also for long-term adherence to device adoption and health. Although active lower-limb prostheses can provide enhanced functionality than passive devices, little is known about the mechanism of preferences for settings in active devices. Therefore, a think-aloud study was conducted on three amputees to unravel their preferences for a powered robotic knee prosthesis during user-guided auto-tuning. The inductive thematic analysis revealed that amputee patients were more likely to use their own passive device rather than the intact leg as the reference for the natural walkingthat they were looking for in the powered device. There were large individual differences in factors influencing naturalness. The mental optimization of preference decisionswas mostly based on the noticeableness of the differences between knee profiles. The implications on future design and research in active prostheses were discussed.