Structural Design and Control of a Multi-degree-of-freedom Modular Bionic Arm Prosthesis

Abstract

AbstractDue to various reasons of natural disasters, car accidents, diseases and so on, different levels of amputations such as hand, wrist and shoulder disarticulation have been caused. A modular structural design of upper limb prosthesis that consists of hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders joints is vital to restore the lost motor functions of amputees and still remains a challenge. This paper designs a modular bionic arm prosthesis with five-degree-of-freedom according to the characteristics of weight, size and range of motion of a natural upper limb. By simulating and analyzing the kinematics of the arm prosthesis, results showed that the range of motion of the prosthesis is relatively wide and can meet the use of daily life. And based on the 3D printing technology, a whole arm prosthesis was printed and assembled modularly. Additionally, a control test of the modular arm prosthesis was conducted. The results showed that the designed prosthesis was operated successfully by the surface electromyography based pattern recognition control. The work of this study provides an effective modular bionic arm prosthesis structure that can restore different motor functions for patients with different levels of amputations.KeywordsArm prosthesisModular bionic prosthesisMultiple-degree-of-freedom