Back to Search Start Over

Verification of Finger Positioning Accuracy of an Affordable Transradial Prosthesis

Authors :
Zuzana Koudelkova
Ales Mizera
Michaela Karhankova
Vaclav Mach
Pavel Stoklasek
Matej Krupciak
Jan Minarcik
Roman Jasek
Source :
Designs, Vol 7, Iss 1, p 14 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Whether due to unpleasant events, injuries or illnesses, people lose the mobility of their hands. In extreme cases, amputation of the hand or hands can also occur. This paper deals with designing and fabricating an affordable transradial prosthesis using 3D printing and measuring finger positioning accuracy during a long-term test. The prosthesis’ design was inspired by the tested wire construction used in both low-cost commercial and do-it-yourself prostheses. The shape of the partial parts of the prosthesis was adapted for production using 3D printing. A high priority was also placed on using as few electronics as possible, while the used electronics also has to be affordable. Six MG995 servo motors were utilized to provide movement for the fingers, thumbs and wrist, and an Arduino Nano R3 was used to control their function. A control glove was subsequently developed to control the prosthesis, allowing accurate measurement of the angles of the finger’s distal phalanges. Their measured angle served as a reference for matching the angles on the prosthetic hand. To verify the prosthesis’s durability and the finger grip’s accuracy, a long-term test of 100,000 cycles, which repeated the western world’s finger-counting system from 0 to 5, was performed. It was determined that there is only a minor deviation from the initial finger position based on measurements of the accuracy of the finger position before and after the long-term test. Only minimal wear of functional parts after the long-term test was observed. No significant deviations from the desired finger angles were measured.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
24119660
Volume :
7
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Designs
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.faeb66acf034b558b1ed6a73bbdebca
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/designs7010014