Two-degree-of-freedom powered prosthetic wrist

Abstract

Prosthetic wrists need to be compact. By minimizing space requirements, a wrist unit can be made for people with long residual limbs. This prosthetic wrist uses two motors arranged across the arm within the envelope of the hand. The drive is transmitted by a differential so that it produces wrist flexion and extension, pronation and supination, or a combination of both. As a case study, it was controlled by a single-prosthesis user with pattern recognition of the myoelectric signals from the forearm. The result is a compact, two-degree-of-freedom prosthetic wrist that has the potential to improve the functionality of any prosthetic hand by creating a hand orientation that more closely matches grasp requirements.