Abstract:
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There are 3 millions of upper limb amputees worldwide, and this represents a minority of 5% of the total number of amputees. For this reason, the costs of production of an advanced bionic limb are so elevated. This impacts on the acquisition prices, setting them between 25.000 and 75.000 €. The main motivation of the present work has been to create a design of a bionic hand with 6 degrees of freedom (DOF), which can be 3D printed with competitive features respect to the best commercial models available in the market in terms of flexion-extension speed and force.
Each of the aims of the project has been a different technological challenge. The main objectives can be summarised as follows: (1) the bionic hand must be able to reproduce the 6 most important types of grips required in order to carry out activities of daily life; (2) all the components: electronics and actuators should be included into the palm of the hand to reduce the possible space occupied in the forearm; (3) the hand mass should be less than 400g, which the weight critical for the user to be considered too heavy; (4) the bionic hand should be easily assembled and programmed by the same user once you have downloaded the open source files; (5) the total cost of the hand must be below 500 € including all components. Finally, the greatest challenge is to achieve all these objectives and at the same time be competitive with respect to existing commercial projects.
The project includes the development of various designs and 3D printable prototypes that have been carried out during the previous 4 years. All the experience and knowledge acquired with these prior designs culminated in Grasp: the latest design, presented in this work. Grasp sets out to achieve all the objectives that have emerged from the needs that must be covered to provide a product with the optimal quality and functionality. |