The design of a myoelectrically controlled hand with multiple actuators for five-year old children

Abstract

Myoelectric prosthetics are complex functional devices that can improve significantly a person’s quality of life. This paper describes the development of a myoelectrically controlled prosthetic hand for a five-year old child. A key consideration in the design of upper-body prostheses is to use information from studies highlighting the main causes of rejection. These studies emphasize that in order to reduce rejection, it is necessary to include the opinions of the users in the design process. Additional constraints are introduced due to the small size and mass of a five-year old child’s hand compared to that of an adult. The main points of the final design are detailed, including the areas where these constraints were overcome. Modularity was used throughout the design; it allows the hand to be configured for the individual user, and also helps to reduce the potential cost of the hand. The final design has three actuators controlled individually through the use of a master-slave microchip combination. This design has a final mass of 105.8g and produces a pinching force of 4.35 N