3D-Printed Prosthetic Limbs with Integrated Sensory Feedback for Enhanced Functionality

Abstract

The growing need for affordable, customizable, and functionally augmented prosthetic limbs has driven strong interest in additive manufacturing and smart sensing technologies. Traditional prosthetic systems are usually characterized by a lack of sensory feedback, high production costs, and limited responsiveness to individual user needs, which adversely affect usability and long-term acceptability. To address these issues, this paper will discuss the design and testing of 3D-printed prosthetic limbs with multimodal sensory feedback to enhance functionality and user experience. In the proposed system, fused deposition modeling (FDM) is used to produce lightweight, modular prosthetic components from biocompatible polymers. The processing unit based on microcontrollers receives the real-time interaction data by connecting embedded force, pressure, and temperature sensors. The sensory data are converted into vibrotactile and electro-tactile feedback so that users can experience the grasp force and contact conditions of objects. A closed-loop control mechanism is adopted to ensure an adaptive response when the object is manipulated. Ten participants were experimentally assessed on standardised grasping and manipulation tasks. The outcomes were measured by assessing performance based on grasp success rate, time to complete a task, applied force error, and comfort rating as reported by users. Findings indicate increases in grasp accuracy (28.6%), decreases in task completion time (21.4%), and decreases in excessive force application (32.1%) relative to the non-feedback 3D-printed prosthetic baselines. Following the subjective feedback analysis, the usability score increased from 3.1 to 4.2 on a 5-point Likert scale. The results show that low-cost 3D-printed prosthetics can enhance sensory feedback, significantly improving device performance and user experience. The paper explores the potential of integrating additive manufacturing with embedded sensing to create human-friendly, intelligent prosthetics and outlines a framework for scalable human-machine interface development.