Sensory Preference in Prosthetics Study

With its roots in the Hands of X project, this study is a collaboration between Caitlin McMullan, a designer, researcher and below knee amputee, and Sarah Wilkes, research fellow at the Institute of Making. 

In the study they are exploring how the choice of materials offered for prosthetic limbs affects wearers' experience of them, and whether particular materials or textures stimulate phantom limb sensations. This will be fed back to clinicians, prosthetists and manufacturers, with the potential to inform the design of prosthetic limbs. The findings from this study will also feed into the Material Anxieties project, which aims to encourage more user-centred materials selection in the healthcare design industry.

Want to get involved?

Are you aged over 18 and do you wear a prosthetic limb? We would like to hear about your experiences of materials in your prosthetic, and how you would like future prosthetics to look and feel.

We are running materials handling and interview sessions in London, Glasgow and around the UK, exploring objects from the Materials Library and asking questions about how the sensory and aesthetic properties of materials offered for prosthetic limbs affect your experience of them. We will also discuss whether particular materials or textures stimulate phantom limb sensations.

Travel expenses and your time (£10/hour) will be reimbursed.

We have upcoming sessions at the Institute of Making in London on the 26th & 27th Jan. Sign up for the London sessions here.