myFive

For the last three years students in the BioRobotics and BioMechanics Lab in the faculty of Mechanical Engineering have been working on a project to develop and build prosthetic hands. Currently, a team of ten students is working on this ongoing project.

 

One of the prosthetics being developed is 3D printed, myoelectric, robotic prosthetic hand. It is designed to provide a solution for amputees with a below-the-elbow amputation. Currently available prosthetics of this type are hard to get and very expensive (around $40,000), which makes them impractical for most. The overall cost to build ours is about $250, using only 3D printed and other commercially available parts. Our design principles center around making this technology accessible both monetarily and intellectually as an open source platform for anyone who may need it.

 

This robotic prosthetic is controlled with surface EMG sensors placed on the residual limb. Data processing is handled onboard and all the electronics are cheap and accessible components. An accompanying graphic user interface (GUI) allows the user to train for use of the prosthetic and better understand how the algorithm works.

 

In addition, students in the lab work closely with the Haifa E-nable Hub, customizing already available prosthetic models, and improving, printing, assembling, and distributing these hands. These prosthetics are designed for those with partial hand amputations and most go to children who are born missing some or all of their fingers.

  

These prosthetics provide a significant physical and psychological benefit, particularly to children. The 3D printed design allows customization in a way that allows a child to design and proudly display his hand, overcoming some of the psychological effects of the physical disability.

 

This project is student founded and student run, and is the cumulative work of several years.

As an open source project, all files necessary to replicate and/or modify our work will be freely available.

 

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Links:

E-nable: http://enablingthefuture.org/

Haifa E-nable hub: https://www.facebook.com/eNableIL/