REVIEW article
Front. Mech. Eng.
Sec. Digital Manufacturing
This article is part of the Research TopicGlobal Excellence in Digital Manufacturing: Europe Vol. 2View all articles
MEMS Sensors and Biomechanical Integration for the Dynamic Control of Prosthetic Hands: A Scoping Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universita degli Studi di Catania Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e Informatica, Catania, Italy
- 2Icam Site de Lille, Lille, France
- 3ICB UMR CNRS 6303, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté UTBM, F-90010, Belfort, France, Belfort, France
- 4Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Caltanissetta, Caltanissetta, Italy
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The miniaturization and integration of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have progressively expanded the capabilities of advanced prosthetic hands, enabling not only the replication of human sensory and motor functions but also the implementation of sophisticated mechatronic control, precise manipulation, and adaptive responses to environmental interactions. The aim of this scoping review is to systematically map and evaluate current research on MEMS-integrated prosthetic hands, highlighting how MEMS sensors and mechanical modelling approaches contribute to dynamic control, biomechanical performance and user-centered functionality. Comparative analyses of different modelling techniques and MEMS applications indicate that MEMS-based sensing systems substantially improve the mechanical performance of prosthetic hands by enabling accurate force modulation, enhancing motion stability during dynamic tasks and supporting efficient signal acquisition for real-time control. These features lead to more precise control, smoother movements and enhanced dexterity during activities of daily living (ADL), broadening the functional capabilities of the devices. Microsurgical and neural interface aspects were also examined, including physiological considerations relevant to neural integration and common challenges related to prosthetic implantation, such as potential immunological responses to materials. The increasing role of MEMS in the development of smart, biomimetic prosthetic hands underscores new opportunities for creating highly adaptive devices, optimizing dexterity and environmental interaction and ultimately improving users' quality of life.
Keywords: MEMS sensors, Biomechanical modelling, Prosthetic hand, Mechatronic systems, Dynamic control, Smart MEMS, Smart hand Prosthesis
Received: 31 Oct 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Baiamonte, Elrawshdeh, Marrone and Calì. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Giuliana Baiamonte
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