Development of a Dexterous Prosthetic Hand

Abstract

An anthropomorphic, under-actuated, prosthetic hand has been designed and developed for upper extremity amputees. This paper proposes a dexterity focused approach to the design of an anthropomorphic electromechanical hand for transradial amputees. Dexterity is increased by the improvement of thumb position, orientation, and work space. The fingers of the hand are also capable of adduction and abduction. It is the intent of this research project to aid the rehabilitation of upper extremity amputees by increasing the amount of tasks the hand can execute. Function and control of the hand are based on micro servo actuation and information acquired from the brain. Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to attain the mental state of the user, which triggers the prosthetic hand. This paper focuses on the mechanical arrangement of the hand and investigates the effect of increasing the degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) the thumb and fingers have.