The Boston Digital Arm System has a very versatile controller with many set-up and adjustment options. This tutorial is designed to demonstrate the types of graphical user interface screens found on this system and to help guide prosthetic professionals through the set-up process. The screens you see may differ slightly, depending on the control strategy chosen. The prosthetic system will come with the requested control strategy already loaded. This can be changed as necessary once further evaluation has been completed if it is determined that a different control strategy would be more appropriate for the patient. Please set the system up and get familiar with the software before your patient is scheduled for fitting to assure that everything is working properly. For the following discussion, we will assume that a preliminary evaluation has been completed and the patient’s myoelectric sites have been identified. The first screen is the Myo Setup. The primary purpose of this screen is to display the patient’s myoelectric signals and make adjustments for threshold and gain. Additionally, this is where more output gain can be applied to operate the prosthetic motors at full speed.
Patient Evaluation: 1) With the prosthesis fitted and the electrodes in place, have the patient relax and observe the (red) Signal level on Channel
1. This “relaxed” signal is actually unwanted noise and must be eliminated. To do this, raise the Threshold lever located to the right of the signal bar graph until it is at approximately the same height as the red signal level itself.