Prosthetic Arm Speed Affects Embodiment Acceptance

In a virtual reality experiment, researchers led by Harin Manujaya Hapuarachchi tested how prosthetic forearm movement speed (125 ms to 4 s) affects embodiment, agency, usability, and social impressions. They found a moderate movement duration of about 1 second produced the highest body ownership, agency, and usability, while very fast or very slow motions reduced acceptance. Results suggest designing autonomous prostheses with human-like reach timing.