Bio-mimetic pneumatic soft prosthetic hand
Title: Bio-mimetic pneumatic soft prosthetic hand
Authors: Jan Fras (Queen Mary University of London); Kaspar Althoefer (Queen Mary University of London);
Year: 2018
Citation: Fras, J., Althoefer, K., (2018). Bio-mimetic pneumatic soft prosthetic hand. UK-RAS Conference: ‘Robots Working For & Among Us’ Proceedings, 90-92. doi: 10.31256/UKRAS17.29
Abstract:
Traditional prosthetic hand devices are rigid, heavy and expensive. In order to satisfy demanding manipulation tasks they require either sophisticated controlling strategies or complex mechanics. In this work we present a soft pneumatic prosthetic hand, which is not only very cheap in production, but also very simple to control due to its mechanical compliance. It can be very easily reshaped and resized in order to fit a particular patient needs. The aim of this research is to provide children patients with a device that can be frequently exchanged whenever a bigger size is needed or the device is broken. Due to its softness and compliance the device is mechanically safe even for very small children.