Abstract
Hand prostheses partially restore hand appearance and functionalities. In particular, 3D printers have provided great opportunities by simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs. The “Federica” hand is 3D-printed and equipped with a single servomotor, which synergically actuates its five fingers by inextensible tendons; no springs are used for hand opening. A differential mechanical system simultaneously distributes the motor force on each finger in predefined portions. The proportional control of hand closure/opening is achieved by monitoring muscle contraction by means of a thin force sensor, as an alternative to EMG. The electrical current of the servomotor is monitored to provide sensory feedback of the grip force, through a small vibration motor. A simple Arduino board was adopted as the processing unit. A closed-chain, differential mechanism guarantees efficient transfer of mechanical energy and a secure grasp of any object, regardless of its shape and deformability. The force sensor offers some advantages over the EMG: it does not require any electrical contact or signal processing to monitor muscle contraction intensity. The activation speed (about half a second) is high enough to allow the user to grab objects on the fly. The cost of the device is less then 100 USD. The “Federica” hand has proved to be a lightweight, low-cost and extremely efficient prosthesis. It is now available as an open-source project (CAD files and software can be downloaded from a public repository), thus allowing everyone to use the “Federica” hand and customize or improve it.
Highlights
The hand is the principal effector organ of the upper limb, thanks to which humans can perform many functions in daily life
The parts of the “Federica” hand are almost completely 3D printed in polylactic acid (PLA)
Usingactivities batteriesperformed of 7.4 V with a capacity of 3000 mAh, andofconsidering various daily by the patient,ofit 3000 was estimated that the prosthesis have an autonomy least an entire mAh, and considering variouswould daily activities performed of byat the patient, it wasday estimated further showed that the of mean gripanforce of day the “Federica”
Summary
The hand is the principal effector organ of the upper limb, thanks to which humans can perform many functions in daily life. Hand prostheses are intended to restore both the appearance and some functionalities of the hand in people with amputations or congenital malformations. Many people cannot afford high-tech, commercial hand prostheses, so various low cost solutions have been proposed [4,5,6]. The “Federica” prosthetic hand was designed to meet these needs [7,8,9,10,11]. “Federica” restores the grasping functions that are the most useful in everyday life. Its design is focused on achieving an energy-efficient operation, as well
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