Abstract:
Currently, two types of prosthetic hands are available on the market: body powered and myoelectric prostheses. Body powered prostheses use gross movements to actuate the device, and these devices are generally limited to a single clasping motion. Myoelectric hands interpret electrical signals generated by the remaining musculature in the arm and translate them into a variety of hand motions. However, these devices are expensive and have a steep learning curve. No successful “midgrade” prosthetic device, which incorporates multiple degrees of freedom while remaining affordable, is currently offered. Therefore, a hybrid, pneumatically actuated prosthetic device is proposed. This project is a proof of concept study, which intends to prove that multiple degrees of freedom can be incorporated successfully without myoelectric control and without unreasonable stress on the user. To achieve these degrees of freedom, five specific shoulder
movements are translated into controlled movement of the prosthetic hand via electrical signal transduction. This device is capable of one manually controlled and three electrically controlled degrees of freedom. The thumb can be locked manually in two positions, while wrist rotation, wrist flexion, and a contour grip is achieved using a pneumatic rotary actuator and pneumatic artificial muscles.
Currently, two types of prosthetic hands are available on the market: body powered and myoelectric prostheses. Body powered prostheses use gross movements to actuate the device, and these devices are generally limited to a single clasping motion. Myoelectric hands interpret electrical signals generated by the remaining musculature in the arm and translate them into a variety of hand motions. However, these devices are expensive and have a steep learning curve. No successful “midgrade” prosthetic device, which incorporates multiple degrees of freedom while remaining affordable, is currently offered. Therefore, a hybrid, pneumatically actuated prosthetic device is proposed. This project is a proof of concept study, which intends to prove that multiple degrees of freedom can be incorporated successfully without myoelectric control and without unreasonable stress on the user. To achieve these degrees of freedom, five specific shoulder
movements are translated into controlled movement of the prosthetic hand via electrical signal transduction. This device is capable of one manually controlled and three electrically controlled degrees of freedom. The thumb can be locked manually in two positions, while wrist rotation, wrist flexion, and a contour grip is achieved using a pneumatic rotary actuator and pneumatic artificial muscles.