Article

The Delft Institute of Prosthetics and Orthotics has started a research program
to develop an improved voluntary closing, body-powered hand prosthesis. Five
commercially available voluntary closing terminal devices were mechanically
tested: three hands [Hosmer APRL VC hand, Hosmer Soft VC Male hand, Otto Bock
8K24] and two hooks [Hosmer APRL VC hook, TRS Grip 2S]. The test results serve as
a design guideline for future prostheses. A test bench was used to measure
activation cable forces and displacements, and the produced pinch forces. The
measurements show that the hands require higher activation forces than the hooks
and 1.5-8 times more mechanical work. The TRS hook requires the smallest
activation force (33 N for a 15 N pinch force) and has the lowest energy
dissipation (52 Nmm). The Hosmer Soft hand requires the largest activation force
(131 N for a 15 N pinch force) and has the highest energy dissipation (1409 Nmm).
The main recommendations for future prostheses are the following: (1) Required
activation forces should be below the critical muscle force ( approximately 18%
of maximum), to enable continuous activation without muscle fatigue; and (2)
hysteresis of mechanism and glove should be lowered, to increase efficiency and controllability.
Prothèse de main
crochet

Langue : ANGLAIS