CUSTOM SILICONE SOCKETS FOR MYOELECTRIC PROSTHESES

Abstract

Sockets for myoelectric prostheses have not changed significantly over the past 30 years. The Otto Bock Muenster style socket (MyoBock) was developed in the late 1960’s by Fruzinsky based on the original Muenster design of Hepp and Kuhn3. This socket was designed to compliment the newly available myoelectric components of the time that allowed for self-contained, self-suspending transradial prostheses. The Northwestern University socket was first introduced by Billock1 in 1972. Elements of these two socket designs represent the critical design elements of state-of-the-art transradial interface designs even today. Flexible thermoplastics have helped to improve the dynamics of these socket systems, however, the socket design did not change significantly as a result of the more flexible materials. It should be noted that these flexible materials are non-elastic.