A Paediatric 3D-Printed Soft Robotic Hand Prosthesis for Children with Upper Limb Loss.

Abstract

Designing prosthetic hands for children is challenging due to the limited space for electronics and the need of reducing the cost to cater for the constant growth of their hand. In this paper, we proposed an anthropomorphic hand prosthesis for children, using monolithic design and 3D printing of soft/compliant materials. The use of monolithic soft robotic structure provides a lightweight and compact design required in paediatric hand prostheses. The use of 3D printing also allows fabrication of customised products manufactured at low volumes in a cost-effective way which is of interest in prosthetic hand for children. The proposed hand/arm design has a total weight of 230gr including battery and actuation and control systems and a size similar to the biological hand of 5-7 years old children. The hand can provide two grasp types: pinch/tripod and power (cylindrical and spherical) and controlled by using two surface electromyography electrodes. The capability of the proposed hand prosthesis is demonstrated through grasping objects with different shapes and sizes.