How can sense of touch help prosthesis wearers to alleviate phantom limb pain?
Schulz: The prosthesis wearer gets grip force feedback via vibration signals in the hand. It stimulates the sensorimotor cortex, which can help reduce any existing phantom limb pain. This works in a similar way to visual stimulation in mirror therapy, where the missing arm is simulated by the healthy arm with the help of a mirror.
VINCENT Systems also offers hand prosthetics for children. Why are prosthetics for children the pinnacle of prosthetics?
Schulz: Prosthetics for children present a special challenge because unlike prosthetic devices for adults, the prosthetic components for children must be considerably reduced in size. Meanwhile, grip force, speed, and robustness must be at the same level as hand prosthetics for adults. Needless to say, due to the miniaturization, the weight must also be significantly reduced. All of these aspects present a major technological challenge.
Your company is also known for its modular design. What is it exactly and what are some of the issues with partial hand systems?
Schulz: Modular design is used for partial hand systems. Every prosthesis wearer has a very individual stump situation. You need to replace individual fingers or a thumb or entire sections of a hand. This only works if a prosthetic device can be customized based on the patient’s anatomical circumstances. The solution is to adapt the motor-powered single fingers to the patient by using individual frame structures. Electronic controls, sensor systems, and batteries can be placed individually. Thanks to an innovation, the batteries can now be adapted to match the anatomical shape. As a result of an innovative USB charging system, our batteries can also be recharged at any time without mains power, giving the prosthesis wearer a longer, independent life expectancy for his/her prosthetic device.
You have an innovative product that was nominated for the German Future Prize as one of three final projects. Plus, you are also active in the U.S. market. What does the future have in store for VINCENT Systems and functional prosthetic hands in general?
Schulz: We still have lots of plans when it comes to the field of prosthetics and as an innovative company, we want to contribute to continuous technological advancements in prosthetics. It’s fun to develop new technologies, while it is also incredibly motivating to improve the quality of life of so many people. That’s also why we won’t run out of new ideas.