AUTHOR=Segil Jacob L. , Roldan Leah Marie , Graczyk Emily L. 

TITLE=Measuring embodiment: A review of methods for prosthetic devices

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurorobotics

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurorobotics/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2022.902162

DOI=10.3389/fnbot.2022.902162

ISSN=1662-5218

ABSTRACT=The development of neural interfaces to provide improved control and somatosensory feedback from prosthetic limbs has initiated a new ability to probe the various dimensions of embodiment. Scientists in the field of neuroprosthetics require dependable measures of ownership, body representation, and agency to quantify the sense of embodiment felt by patients for their prosthetic limbs. These measures are critical to perform generalizable experiments and compare the utility of the new technologies being developed. Here, we review outcome measures used in the literature to identify the senses of ownership, body-representation, and agency.  We categorize these existing measures based on the fundamental psychometric property measured and whether it is a behavioral or physiological measure. We present arguments for the efficacy and pitfalls of each measure to guide better experimental designs and future outcome measure development. Finally, we conclude with open questions in the study of embodiment of prosthetic limbs which can promote development of other outcome measures in the future. Advances in the ability to measure the embodiment of prosthetic devices have far-reaching implications in the development of sensory-enabled prosthetic limbs as well as promoting a broader understanding of ourselves as embodied agents.