Force-directed design of a voluntary closing hand prosthesis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Prosthetics Design

Background:

• Effective prosthetic hand control is crucial for user independence.
• Existing designs often prioritize complex movement over grip force feedback.
• Body-powered prostheses offer a viable, intuitive control method.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a body-powered voluntary closing prosthetic hand focused on optimal force distribution.
• To enhance object manipulation control and user feedback through a novel design approach.
• To minimize external factors affecting force feedback, such as cosmetic gloves.

Main Methods:

• A force-directed design approach was employed, prioritizing force configuration and transmission.
• The prosthetic hand was engineered for adaptive and flexible force distribution.
• Mechanisms were incorporated to reduce friction (rolling links) and compensate for glove interference.
• Focus was placed on force feedback rather than pre-grip finger movement.

Main Results:

• The developed prosthetic hand features a simple mechanism with low operating force.
• Achieved a good distribution of pinching forces for natural object manipulation.
• Demonstrated improved force feedback to the user.
• Reduced the negative impact of cosmetic gloves on force transmission.

Conclusions:

• The force-directed design successfully created a body-powered prosthetic hand with enhanced grip control and feedback.
• The adaptive and flexible design, coupled with friction reduction, results in a more intuitive and effective prosthetic device.
• This approach offers a promising direction for future prosthetic hand development, prioritizing functional grip over complex kinematics.