Using Tendon-Based Control to Create a Hand and Forearm Prostheses Prototype

Abstract

Through two thousand years of history, artificial limbs have evolved from little more than rudimentary pieces of hollow armor, to body-controlled, myoelectric, and bio-inspired forms of robust healthcare that return great amounts of autonomy to amputees. In this project, the creation of a hand and forearm prosthesis that was 3D printed, modular, and used tendon-based actuation was the goal, as to provide a cost-effective, modifiable, and easy to grasp artificial limb that could be reproduced and used by the average amputee. Through the usage of Selective Laser Sintering of Nylon 11 and the Fused Deposition Modeling of Polylactic Acid, a lightweight, durable, and actuating prototype was created to be controlled through 24BYJ-48 Stepper Motors, Pololu A4988 Motor Controllers, and an Arduino Nano v3. Pseudo-tendons made of high-strength fishing line were installed to emulate the extensor digitorum and flexor digitorum in their function, in turn to be controlled by the Stepper Motor array housed within the prosthesis. Despite the issues that arose in the printing and control, the prosthesis was able to successfully move using the pseudo-tendons, and allowed for a baseline for even further iterations and future research to improve, fix, and tweak its components.