Browsing by Subject "Hand prosthesis"

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Open Access
CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING CONCEPTS FOR A MULTIFUNCTIONAL HAND PROSTHESIS
(2002) Reischl, Markus; Mikut, Raif; Pylatiuk, Christian; Schulz, Stefan
The loss of an arm means drastic reduction of live quality for affected people. To compensate the lost live quality myoelectric hand prostheses have been developed, that can be controlled by muscle contractions in the patients stump. Besides cosmetical aspects the acceptance of these hand prostheses depends on functionality, weight and user-friendliness. Concerning these items, international studies demonstrated, that about 30% of the users of functional prostheses are not using them regularly [1, 2]. Recently, the FZK (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe) presented a light-weight artificial hand, that is able to move all finger joints independently [3]. To control this large variety of movement possibilities the principal task is to establish a control that has an extended functionality but is easy to handle. This paper presents: • a control concept that is able to perform various grip types using the same sensor configuration like commercial products and • a software platform to individually adapt necessary parameters to the users needs.
Open Access
PRELIMINARY EXPERIENCE WITH HYDRAULICALLY DRIVEN HAND PROSTHESES
(2005) Pylatiuk, Christian; Kargov, Artem; Oberle, Reinhold; Klosek, Heinrich; Schulz, Stefan
The need for further development of prosthetic hands with enhanced functionalities and better cosmetic appearance than conventional prosthetic hands became evident in many investigations of this topic [1-3]. Consequently, a new generation of multi-articulated hands for prosthetic application were designed in the past decade. Some of these hands are characterized by a multitude of miniature DC gear motors integrated into the hand [4-8], or by an underactuated mechanism driven by a single DC motor [4,9]. However, the transition from an experimental hand to a clinically viable hand is a crucial test for any new development. Different approaches using fluidic actuators were chosen by [10] and by our research group [11]. Unlike [10], we do not use a pneumatic drive system powered by pressurized CO2 from disposable cartridges, but a compact electro-hydraulic system. Its components are micropump(s), microvalve(s), a reservoir, a controller, and small flexible fluidic actuators integrated into the finger joints. The flexible fluidic actuators expand during inflation, generating the flexion movement of the digits, whereas the extension movement is achieved by elastic elements [11]. Publications on standards for prosthetic hands and criteria to meet user requirements [1-3, 12] were analyzed and taken into consideration in designing new experimental hands. The results obtained in the first year with three hydraulically driven experimental hands are displayed and test experiences are presented.