Is the Prosthetic Homologue Necessary for Embodiment?

Embodiment is the process by which patients with limb loss come to accept their peripheral device as a natural extension of self. However, there is little guidance as to how exacting the prosthesis must be in order for embodiment to take place: is it necessary for the prosthetic hand to look just like the absent hand? Here, we describe a protocol for testing whether an individual would select a hand that looks like their own from among a selection of five hands, and whether the hand selection (regardless of homology) is consistent across multiple exposures to the same (but reordered) set of candidate hands. Pilot results using healthy volunteers reveals that hand selection is only modestly consistent, and that selection of the prosthetic homologue is atypical (61 of 192 total exposures). Our protocol can be executed in minutes, and makes use of readily available equipment and softwares. We present both a face-to-face and a virtual protocol, for maximum flexibility of implementation.

Validity of the Samsung Phone S Health application for assessing steps and energy expenditure during walking and running: Does phone placement matter?

BACKGROUND: The emergence of mHealth and the utilization of smartphones in physical activity interventions warrant a closer examination of validity evidence for such technology. This study examined the validity of the Samsung S Health application in measuring steps and energy expenditure. METHODS: Twenty-nine participants (mean age 21.69 ± 1.63) participated in the study. Participants carried a Samsung smartphone in their non-dominant hand and right pocket while walking around a 200-meter track and running on a treadmill at 2.24 m∙s-1. Steps and energy expenditure from the S Health app were compared with StepWatch 3 Step Activity Monitor steps and indirect calorimetry. RESULTS: No significant differences between S Health estimated steps and energy expenditure during walking and their respective criterion measures, regardless of placement. There was also no significant difference between S Health estimated steps and the criterion measure during treadmill running, regardless of placement. There was significant differences between S Health estimated energy expenditure and the criterion during treadmill running for both placements (both p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The S Health application measures steps and energy expenditure accurately during self-selected pace walking regardless of placement. Placement of the phone impacts the S Health application accuracy in measuring physical activity variables during treadmill running.