| The design of a child sized prosthetic hand capable of passive adaptive grasp is the primary goal of this research. Adaptive grasp is the ability of the fingers to conform to the shape of an object held within the hand. When the hand closes around an object, the four fingers and thumb flex inwards and independently conform to the shape of the object. The grasp of objects such as a cube, a ball, or a pyramid will result in a different final grasp configuration for the fingers and thumb. This adaptability is passively achieved by the mechanisms within the hand. The resulting design is simple and effective, not requiring sensors or electronic processing. The purpose of this hand is to provide a more secure grasp of objects, as well as to improve the dynamic and static cosmesis of the hand, so that it looks as natural as possible.; A prototype hand has been built with four fingers and a thumb. All the digits can curl as they flex and straighten out as they extend. In addition, the thumb can be passively rotated to adduct or abduct. A cylinder spring mechanism has been created to achieve the passive adaptive grasp. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
