Articulating wrist for elbow actuated prosthesis

Description

The overall aim of this prosthetic is to gain functionality for any elbow actuated recreational prosthesis, this functionality increase arises from an implementation of a lockable wrist to set the palm at separate angles. It will not be possible to adduct or abduct the wrist, however, flexion and extension of the wrist will be possible with angles of 60 and -60 degrees (+ for extension, - for flexion). The biological wrist joint angles inspired the pin design to create a wrist that can perform at common wrist joint angles. Since the proposed new wrist design mimics, the angles of a biological wrist, thus allowing the user to complete tasks such as eating or giving a high five which were unattainable before. This new device will be able to fit across a wide variety of devices that share the same common connection points. Along with this wrist a new string tensioning system was created to be mounted on the cuff of any arm. As with any design process, there were many iterations of the wrist design. Designs included a gear mechanism with a latch to lock in place, spring-loaded system and a one axle locking hinge mechanism. These designs were flawed as a limiting factor was the precision and capabilities of additive manufacturing. Another reason as to why a pin locking mechanism was chosen is due to the ease of assembly. Teaching others how to assemble and integrate the wrist to any device becomes simple with a more straightforward design. Thus, a more straightforward design yields a higher likelihood of application. To integrate this device, one will simply attach the wrist to the preexisting connections of the assistive device. It is designed to use Raptor or Phoenix Hand mount points and works with devices such as the Reborn Hand.

Statistics

Category

Tags