Clinical evaluation of the Helping Hand electromechanical arm

Robots can serve as interactive aids for performing personal and vocational activities and improving the quality of life of persons with severe mobility impairments. A major challenge has been making this technology functional, practical, and affordable. The Helping Hand (HH) is a wheelchair mounted electromechanical arm that can be operated in an unstructured environment and gives the user a measure of independence. Seven VA medical centers are participating in a multicenter clinical evaluation of the HH to document its safety, operational, and performance features. Preliminary results indicate that the HH is (1) well accepted with regard to design, appearance, and ease of installation; (2) safe and easy to learn to use and operate; (3) able to facilitate performance of a variety of designated tasks and user-specific tasks reliably and in a reasonable time period; and (4) considered a desirable prosthetic appliance for home and vocational applications