The Need for Prosthetics

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Recommended: The development of prosthetics

Problem Statement:
Design a prosthetic hand using a combination of 3D printer and hobbyist single board microcontroller technologies that results in a more dexterous hand than the whole-hand-grasp mechanism.

Introduction:
The need for prosthetics has emerged over decades due to humans losing extremities whether through wars, for health reasons or simply because they were not born with them. Prosthetics are meant to provide the user with an artificial extremity that would perform to the same level as the original but this does not always necessarily occur especially when discusses hands. The issues with these devices is that they are not able to execute the caliber of control that user expect from a hand along with the price. This paper when discuss the parts of hand that assist in intricate actions and how it is difficult to translates these biological factors into mechanical parts. Understanding the biological versus mechanical units will allow for solutions that will better align with the heart of the problem. Then this paper will analyze the options that have been emerging over time to address the issue of lack of control to determine which method, if any, would be useful to implement.

Biological Hand System and the Factors Needed in a Successful Mechanical System:
In the human hand, the bones are connected by joints with different degrees of rotation. There are nine specific joints with the specific degree of rotation meant for flexion and extension and five joint intended to assist in flexion and extension by spreading the fingers apart. Conversely, in prosthetic hands that are currently available, there are only two or three joints present to cause the fingers to bend and they are submissively performing the bending mot...

... middle of paper ...

...ment and to focus more on the different non-invasive interfaces which will help us deal with the versatility issues of the device. Finally, I recommend that the group looks further into the different interfaces and materials that prosthetics can be used combined with in order to erase the control issue that come with prosthetics.

Works Cited

A BIO-MECHANICAL DESIGNED PROSTHETIC HAND WITH MULTI-CONTROL
STRATEGIES. (2012). International Journal of Humanoid Robotics, 9(2), -1. doi:10.1142/S0219843612500132 Castellini, C., & Smagt, P. (2009). Surface EMG in advanced hand prosthetics. Biological
Cybernetics, 100(1), 35-47. doi:10.1007/s00422-008-0278-1

Kaplanoglu, E. (2012). Design of Shape Memory Alloy-Based and Tendon-Driven Actuated
Fingers Towards a Hybrid Anthropomorphic Prosthetic Hand. International Journal Of
Advanced Robotic Systems, 91-6. doi:10.5772/51276

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