DESIGN OF MECHANICAL PART OF THE MYOELECTRIC HAND PROSHESIS

conference paper

English

A myolectric hand prosthesis for practical application is being developed as part of a doctoral study at the Brno Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Production Machines, Systems and Robotics. Commercially available myoelectric hand prostheses only allow for non-adaptive gripping of an object with three fingers each of them having one degree of freedom. The prosthesis is controlled by means of myosignals, being low voltage electric pulses measurable on the skin of man arising through muscle contraction or through contraction effected by muscles. The prosthesis developed in the above Faculty should feature parameters comparable to commercially available aids, i.e. gripping force min. 50 N, yaw min. 100 mm, finger closing time less than 1.5 s, prosthesis weight max. 500 g. However, in contrast to ordinary prosthesis it will be capable of adaptable gripping of an object between two fingers (each having 3 degrees of freedom) and a thumb using the two most common gripping methods-a precise grip with the tips of the fingers and a firm palm grip. Control through voluntary contraction (by the will of man) of no more than two muscle groups should not overstrain the prosthesis user. This paper is dealing with the desing of mechanical part of the prosthesis.

prosthesis, myoelectric, design, adaptability, grip

ČERNOHOUS, I.

1. 5. 2004

VUT-Brno

Brno

80-7204-341-2

Proceedings - 13th International Workshop on RAAD

143

145

3