An Overview Of The UNB Hand System

Abstract

In 2007, the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME) received funding from the Canadian government’s Atlantic Innovation Fund program to develop a commercially viable and technologically advanced prosthetic hand system. The 5-year project includes several collaborators namely, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s (RIC) BioMechatronics Development Laboratory, the Université de Moncton’s (UdeM) Thin Films and Photonics Research Group, UNB’s Applied Nanotechnology Laboratory (ANL), and Liberating Technologies Inc. The design of this new system, termed the UNB Hand System, aims at producing a compact, life-like and affordable hand with a novel cosmetic glove and sensors. The system utilizes a pattern recognition control system based on IBME’s previous and ongoing research in the myoelectric control field. This paper provides a general overview of the major components and characteristics of the system.