Toward 3D Printed Prosthetic Hands that Can Satisfy Psychosocial Needs: Grasping Force Comparisons Between a Prosthetic Hand and Human Hands

Author(s):  
Ahmad Yaser Alhaddad ◽  
Sami Emad AlKhatib ◽  
Rahib Ahmed Khan ◽  
Salman Mohammad Ismail ◽  
Al-Sendibad Said Shehadeh ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Juan Sebastian Cuellar ◽  
Gerwin Smit ◽  
Amir A Zadpoor ◽  
Paul Breedveld

In developing countries, prosthetic workshops are limited, difficult to reach, or even non-existent. Especially, fabrication of active, multi-articulated, and personalized hand prosthetic devices is often seen as a time-consuming and demanding process. An active prosthetic hand made through the fused deposition modelling technology and fully assembled right after the end of the 3D printing process will increase accessibility of prosthetic devices by reducing or bypassing the current manufacturing and post-processing steps. In this study, an approach for producing active hand prosthesis that could be fabricated fully assembled by fused deposition modelling technology is developed. By presenting a successful case of non-assembly 3D printing, this article defines a list of design considerations that should be followed in order to achieve fully functional non-assembly devices. Ten design considerations for additive manufacturing of non-assembly mechanisms have been proposed and a design case has been successfully addressed resulting in a fully functional prosthetic hand. The hand prosthesis can be 3D printed with an inexpensive fused deposition modelling machine and is capable of performing different types of grasping. The activation force required to start a pinch grasp, the energy required for closing, and the overall mass are significantly lower than body-powered commercial prosthetic hands. The results suggest that this non-assembly design may be a good alternative for amputees in developing countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (23) ◽  
pp. eaau5543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin W. O’Brien ◽  
Patricia A. Xu ◽  
David J. Levine ◽  
Cameron A. Aubin ◽  
Ho-Jung Yang ◽  
...  

The force, speed, dexterity, and compact size required of prosthetic hands present extreme design challenges for engineers. Current prosthetics rely on high-quality motors to achieve adequate precision, force, and speed in a small enough form factor with the trade-off of high cost. We present a simple, compact, and cost-effective continuously variable transmission produced via projection stereolithography. Our transmission, which we call an elastomeric passive transmission (EPT), is a polyurethane composite cylinder that autonomously adjusts its radius based on the tension in a wire spooled around it. We integrated six of these EPTs into a three-dimensionally printed soft prosthetic hand with six active degrees of freedom. Our EPTs provided the prosthetic hand with about three times increase in grip force without compromising flexion speed. This increased performance leads to finger closing speeds of ~0.5 seconds (average radial velocity, ~180 degrees second−1) and maximum fingertip forces of ~32 newtons per finger.


2013 ◽  
Vol 433-435 ◽  
pp. 85-92
Author(s):  
Xue Feng Li ◽  
Xiao Gang Duan ◽  
Hua Deng

Through the judgment of slip or not, human make proper adjustment to the grasping force and achieve stable manipulations. To reconstruct this function on a prosthetic hands platform, this paper presents a hybrid slip detect algorithm utilizing the PVDF sensor and FSR sensor. Then a reflex force estimation model is built to quantify the reflex force according to the intensity of slip in the reflex control process. Finally, through comparative experiments, the anti-jamming performance of the hybrid slip detect scheme is tested. A fuzzy controller is used to control the applied force and test the whole reflex control system. The results show that the hybrid slip detect scheme can make accurate judgment and has strong anti-jamming capacity; The output of the reflex force estimation model is accordance with the factual case; And as a whole, the grasping ability of prosthetic hand is substantially enhanced.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
John-John Cabibihan ◽  
Farah Alkhatib ◽  
Mohammed Mudassir ◽  
Laurent A. Lambert ◽  
Osama S. Al-Kwifi ◽  
...  

The field of rehabilitation and assistive devices is being disrupted by innovations in desktop 3D printers and open-source designs. For upper limb prosthetics, those technologies have demonstrated a strong potential to aid those with missing hands. However, there are basic interfacing issues that need to be addressed for long term usage. The functionality, durability, and the price need to be considered especially for those in difficult living conditions. We evaluated the most popular designs of body-powered, 3D printed prosthetic hands. We selected a representative sample and evaluated its suitability for its grasping postures, durability, and cost. The prosthetic hand can perform three grasping postures out of the 33 grasps that a human hand can do. This corresponds to grasping objects similar to a coin, a golf ball, and a credit card. Results showed that the material used in the hand and the cables can withstand a 22 N normal grasping force, which is acceptable based on standards for accessibility design. The cost model showed that a 3D printed hand could be produced for as low as $19. For the benefit of children with congenital missing limbs and for the war-wounded, the results can serve as a baseline study to advance the development of prosthetic hands that are functional yet low-cost.


Author(s):  
Juan Sebastian Cuellar ◽  
Dick Plettenburg ◽  
Amir A Zadpoor ◽  
Paul Breedveld ◽  
Gerwin Smit

Various upper-limb prostheses have been designed for 3D printing but only a few of them are based on bio-inspired design principles and many anatomical details are not typically incorporated even though 3D printing offers advantages that facilitate the application of such design principles. We therefore aimed to apply a bio-inspired approach to the design and fabrication of articulated fingers for a new type of 3D printed hand prosthesis that is body-powered and complies with basic user requirements. We first studied the biological structure of human fingers and their movement control mechanisms in order to devise the transmission and actuation system. A number of working principles were established and various simplifications were made to fabricate the hand prosthesis using a fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printer with dual material extrusion. We then evaluated the mechanical performance of the prosthetic device by measuring its ability to exert pinch forces and the energy dissipated during each operational cycle. We fabricated our prototypes using three polymeric materials including PLA, TPU, and Nylon. The total weight of the prosthesis was 92 g with a total material cost of 12 US dollars. The energy dissipated during each cycle was 0.380 Nm with a pinch force of ≈16 N corresponding to an input force of 100 N. The hand is actuated by a conventional pulling cable used in BP prostheses. It is connected to a shoulder strap at one end and to the coupling of the whiffle tree mechanism at the other end. The whiffle tree mechanism distributes the force to the four tendons, which bend all fingers simultaneously when pulled. The design described in this manuscript demonstrates several bio-inspired design features and is capable of performing different grasping patterns due to the adaptive grasping provided by the articulated fingers. The pinch force obtained is superior to other fully 3D printed body-powered hand prostheses, but still below that of conventional body powered hand prostheses. We present a 3D printed bio-inspired prosthetic hand that is body-powered and includes all of the following characteristics: adaptive grasping, articulated fingers, and minimized post-printing assembly. Additionally, the low cost and low weight make this prosthetic hand a worthy option mainly in locations where state-of-the-art prosthetic workshops are absent.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4464
Author(s):  
Viritpon Srimaneepong ◽  
Artak Heboyan ◽  
Azeem Ul Yaqin Syed ◽  
Hai Anh Trinh ◽  
Pokpong Amornvit ◽  
...  

The loss of one or multiple fingers can lead to psychological problems as well as functional impairment. Various options exist for replacement and restoration after hand or finger loss. Prosthetic hand or finger prostheses improve esthetic outcomes and the quality of life for patients. Myoelectrically controlled hand prostheses have been used to attempt to produce different movements. The available articles (original research articles and review articles) on myoelectrically controlled finger/hand prostheses from January 1922 to February 2021 in English were reviewed using MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect resources. The articles were searched using the keywords “finger/hand loss”, “finger prosthesis”, “myoelectric control”, and “prostheses” and relevant articles were selected. Myoelectric or electromyography (EMG) signals are read by myoelectrodes and the signals are amplified, from which the muscle’s naturally generated electricity can be measured. The control of the myoelectric (prosthetic) hands or fingers is important for artificial hand or finger movement; however, the precise control of prosthetic hands or fingers remains a problem. Rehabilitation after multiple finger loss is challenging. Implants in finger prostheses after multiple finger loss offer better finger prosthesis retention. This article presents an overview of myoelectric control regarding finger prosthesis for patients with finger implants following multiple finger loss.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-94
Author(s):  
Triwiyanto Triwiyanto ◽  
Torib Hamzah ◽  
Sari Luthfiyah ◽  
Bedjo Utomo

The target for this community service program is a resident of Jl. Parikesit RT 05 RW 03 Dusun Picis, Balongdowo Village, Candi District, Sidoarjo Regency. He had a work accident in one of the industries in the city of Sidoarjo in 2010 on the left wrist up to the fingers, so the doctor suggested amputation. He is actually still in his productive age (36 years old) but because of this situation, he is unable to carry out activities in the world of work and has decreased confidence in himself and avoids socializing in society. The purpose of this community partnership program (PKM) activity is to apply 3d printing technology in the manufacture of prosthetic hands for people who have transradial amputations as an effort to improve the quality of life. The implementation methods used are: a) the measurement of several physical parameters on the amputee such as the diameter of the arm circumference, the length of the amputated part, weight and height. In addition to physical parameters, we also carry out medical measurements, including obtaining information on health conditions such as blood pressure, heart health and blood glucose levels, b) designing prosthetic hands using 3D application programs and 3D printers, c) mechanical and functional testing for perform basic movements in the form of opening and closing the palms, d) monitoring and evaluation of the use of prosthetic hands. The results obtained from this activity are that the patient can use the prosthetic hand to assist with activities in carrying out daily activities. In this PKM activity, amputees have been tested, namely the movement of holding a mineral water bottle, holding a banana, peeling a banana peel and driving a two-wheeled motorized vehicle. Monitoring shows that patients need regular exercise in using prosthetic hands so that they are able to control and condition their use. In the future, several developments can be made, including in terms of control and size of the prosthetic hand so that patients can feel the benefits of a prosthetic hand that functions like a normal hand.


Symbrachydactyly is a genetical problem occurred to newborn where the newborn experienced underdeveloped or shorten fingers. This condition will limit their normal as even a simple task of holding an item or pushing a button. A device is needed to help them gain a better life. The aim of this project is to fabricate a customized prosthesis hand using 3D printing technology at minimum cost. The proposed prosthetic was not embedded with any electrical component. The patient can only use the wrist to control the prosthetic part which is the prosthetic fingers. The prosthetic hand was also being developed with the patient specific features, which the initial design stage was adapted from a person’s hand geometry using a 3D scanner. Next the model of the prosthesis was analyzed computationally to predict the performance of the product. Different material properties are considered in the analysis to present Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) materials. Then, the prosthesis was fabricated using the 3D printing. The results suggested that PLA material indicated better findings and further be fabricated.


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