A preliminary study of new interaction devices to enhance virtual socket design

This paper presents a research work on the augmented interaction applied to an innovative platform to design lower
limb prosthesis, in particular the prosthetic socket. The underlining idea is to experiment low-cost hand-tracking devices, to manipulate the 3D virtual model of the socket using hands as traditional done by the prosthetist. The goal is to make
available a modeling tool, named Socket Modeling Assistant SMA
that permits to replicate/emulate manual operations usually performed by the prosthetist during the traditional
development process. Two devices have been considered and compared: the Leap Motion device and the Intel Gestures
Camera. To this end a set of gestures has been identified to make more natural the interaction with SMA. Preliminary tests and results reached so are described and discussed.