Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 Modular Prosthetic Limb – Body Interface : Overview of the Prosthetic Socket Development

240 he Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 program is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency task targeted at developing a neurally controlled upper-extremity prosthetic limb for the wounded warrior population that would incorporate and emulate, from the shoulder joint through the fingertips, the full 22 degrees of freedom possessed by the biologic arm. This review will give a brief background of upper-limb prosthetics and the impact currently insufficient technology has on both the military and civilian sectors. It then highlights the most novel socket concepts, prototypes, and socket accessory tool designs developed to support the Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 Modular Prosthetic Limb and meet the body interface challenge unique to the Modular Prosthetic Limb. All of the technology developed also has potential to define directions of future prosthetic attachment and overall body interface standards in prosthetics as well as man–machine interface technology. Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 Modular Prosthetic Limb–Body Interface: Overview of the Prosthetic Socket Development