Design of an Articulated Thumb for a Low-Cost Prosthetic Hand Sarah Lightbody, Class of 2012 Dr.

Scott Pierce, Department of Engineering Sweet Briar College

ABSTRACT The hand is a complex machine that is invaluable to humans today. One usually does not recognize the wonder of the daily tasks that the hand performs. However, upon loosing this tool, two major issues are encountered: loss of functionality and loss of wholeness. Coupling functionality and cosmetics allows the amputee to regain a sense of wholeness. This research seeks to develop a cosmetically appealing, functional and low-cost thumb to complete a first generation prosthetic hand. The thumb will enable the hand to pick up objects through multiple grasping techniques. The goal of this research is to develop a low-cost prosthetic hand to be used in developing countries.

INTRODUCTION Emerging technologies have enhanced modern day prosthetic hands that are exceptionally functional and cosmetically appealing, but these features come at a high cost. A product advanced enough to do every day activities with ease costs in the upwards of $30,000, which amputees in developing countries cannot afford. Disease, farming accidents, landmines, birth defects and other causes leave 25 million people without at least one limb. Eighty percent of those people live in developing countries [1]. If the amputee can gain access and afford a prosthetic hand, the choice of prosthetics narrows to two types: functional and cosmetic [2]. Functional hands are basic and usually resemble a type of hook, while cosmetic hands are generally made out of plastic and are molded into the shape of a human hand. Often times, an amputee loses his or her sense of wholeness with the loss of a limb and for religious reasons chooses to regain this wholeness through a cosmetic hand. This choice usually renders the amputee unable to return to work. If the amputee chooses a
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functional hand, he or she may be able to return to work, but will be an outcast of the community. The choice between functionality and cosmetics should not have to be made, as we have the ability to make a functional and low cost prosthetic hand that is cosmetically appealing. Although the ability to do this exists, there is not a prosthetic that is low-cost, functional and advanced enough to perform simple tasks. Many companies in the United States and Europe focus on designing state-of-the-art prosthetics for developed countries, but few companies focus on engineering prosthetics for the developing world. A lot of challenges are faced in designing a prosthetic for a developing country. First, the project has to operate on a budget. In order to achieve this, the design of the prosthetic must be simple and easy to manufacture. Simplifying the design of the hand decreases the number of degrees of freedom (DOF) in the hand. Although the human hand has 27 DOF [3], in modeling a prosthetic only the most useful DOF will be used. The materials used must be low cost, tough and hold up in extreme conditions, such as heat and repetitive motions. The availability of these materials must be taken in account. If the materials are not readily available in the country, then the cost of the chosen materials will increase. Finally the design of the hand must be both functional and cosmetically appealing. In achieving all of these objectives, a niche in the world prosthetic need will be filled.

LITERATURE REVIEW Currently, the most advanced prosthetic hands are the i-Limb Hand, the i-Limb Pulse, the bebionic Hand and the Fluidhand, while the Shadow Hand is the most advanced robotic hand. The i-Limb Hand was developed by Touch Bionics out of Scottland and is the worlds first fully articulating and commercially available bionic hand [4]. The hand is manufactured using high quality plastics and features a cosmetic skin covering. The thumb of this Figure 1: i-Limb [4] design can be rotated 110 degrees through

manual positioning. Through multiple thumb positions, the user can utilize 4 grip patterns, including: key grip, power grip, precision grip and index point. Touch Bionics is currently developing a new member to the i-Limb family, the i-Limb Pulse. This prosthetic hand features numerous upgrades from the i-Limb Hand, such as a pulse grip, greater weight bearing power, and a new software program, BioSim. However, the thumb has not received any upgrades. Bebionic has been developing a state-of-the-art prosthetic hand that has new and advanced features. The product has only been prototyped but was launched in May 2010 at the World Conference and Trade Fair. It is due to enter the market in 2: bebionic hand [5] Figure

June 2010. The hand has four grip patterns and spring returns to produce a more lifelike feel. The thumb has two positions, opposed and unopposed, which are driven manually. Sensors on the hand detect if an object is slipping and automatically tightens the grip [5]. The FluidHand was developed by the Orthopedic University in Heidelberg [6]. The prosthetic is controlled through mini hydraulic systems and gives feedback to the user, allowing him or her to sense grip strength. The hand has a more elastic feel and can grip objects with irregular surfaces, unlike some other prototypes. The thumb is composed of three joints and is passive, allowing for the most accurate grip positions. The FluidHand is not in production and currently awaits a company to produce the prototype. The Shadow Hand is a product of the Shadow Robot Company located in London, England. Two different models of the hand are available, including the C5 and the C6M. Both models feature 24 movements and integrated sensing and position controls. The hands can be controlled manually or with a CyberGlove. The C5 model uses 40 air muscle actuators to control the hand, while the C6M model uses 20 smart motor units mounted below the wrist. The thumb has 5 DOF and 5 joints. The Shadow Hand is the only hand that does not have a passive thumb. This is the closest model to the human hand to date, but it is important to note that this is a robotic hand, not a prosthetic hand. Thumb designs for prosthetics are mostly passive and must be manually controlled by the user with his or her other hand. This choice may be out of necessity due to lack of space inside the hand for additional motors. Ideally, a thumb that can be controlled through myoelectrics and positioned with multiple degrees of freedom needs to be designed. When designing a controlled thumb, things to consider include grip, fingertip forces and an aesthetically appealing model.

ANATOMY OF THE HAND The human hand has four fingers and a thumb. With the wrist, the entire hand has a total of 27 DOF, 4 for each finger, 5 for the thumb and 6 for rotation and translation in the wrist. The thumb has four bones: the distal phalanges, proximal phalanges, metacarpal bones and the trapezium. Three joints hold the thumb together: the metacapophalangeal joint (MCP), the carpometacarpal (CMC), and the interphalangeal joint (IP) [8]. Figure 3: The Human Hand [9] The IP joint, which is the joint closest to the fingertip,

uses one axis of rotation while the MCP and CMC joints use two intersecting axes of rotation. Flexor muscles are located on the underside of the hand and allow the hand to close. Extensor muscles are located on the backside of the hand and allow the hand to open. Two flexor muscles allow the thumb to grip and move in opposition [8]. PREVIOUS WORK Work on a first-generation, prototype prosthetic hand was started as part of the 2010 Honors Summer Research Program at Sweet Briar College [10]. The fingers each have one DOF, as opposed to the human finger, which has four DOF. This design allows for extension, flexion and adduction, but omits abduction. Abduction can be left out of the design for simplicity, as it is the motion that allows fingers to spread and separate. This motion is useful in some tasks, but most daily tasks only require the opening and closing of the hand as well as pinching.

OUR WORK The design of the thumb for a low-cost prosthetic hand must meet the following requirements: durability, low cost, and must be of a simple design. These requirements will need to be implemented into a thumb that, combined with the palm and fingers, perform three grasping functions; open and close, tripod (index, middle and thumb), and point. The long term goal of this project is to design and manufacture a hand that can be controlled through myoelectrics. The preliminary design stage included drafting three different design ideas for the thumb. A ball and socket joint was thought to originally be a good idea for the rotational joint of the thumb, but was eventually ruled out because of the difficultly in controlling its movement. Another design idea was to use a shaft inside the palm to rotate the thumb assembly. This idea was ruled out because of the instability of the design. Finally, the idea of a base lever to rotate and support the thumb assembly was analyzed and was determined to be the best choice. Sitting inside the palm, the base of the base lever will be attached to a shaft that rotates with a motor. Positioned at the base of the palm design, the thumb assembly will only have to rotate 30 degrees from one side of the palm to the other to achieve all grasping motions. COMPUTER MODELING The 3-D computer modeling software Autodesk Inventor 2011 brought the preliminary idea to life. This software allows the drafting of the thumb model as well as the construction of all components in an assembly. Modeling the parts allows the user to see possible problems in the design as well as visualize changes in dimensions or other changes to the design. This software allowed me to see how the thumb would interact with the fingers and the palm design.
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THE FINAL DESIGN The final design features two joints as well as a base lever for rotational movement of the thumb. The thumb will be controlled by one actuator and one gear motor, located in the palm and wrist respectfully. The actuator is made by Firgelli, who offers some of the most advanced and small micro linear controllers. The size and advanced features of the PQ12 model (Figure 4), such as position feedback and a high lift force, make this an ideal choice for implementation into my design. Flexion and extension of the thumb is made possible because of this device. Figure 4: Firgelli PQ12 Actuator

The arm of the actuator extends and contracts when the polarity of a DC voltage is reversed. A cable is attached to the arm and run through the inside of the thumb joints and attaches to the thumb tip. When the arm is extended, the thumb will be in a relaxed position and as the arm contracts, the thumb will also flex. This actuator is affordable at $63 each. A gear motor was selected based on size and torque values. The motor has an offset shaft that will attach to the base lever shaft with a pin. When the motor is connected in a circuit, the base lever will rotate. With programming, the motion will be limited from 0 to 30 degrees. The max torque of Gear Motor 17 (Figure 5) is 105.3 in*oz, or 0.74 N. This will be sufficient toque to rotate the thumb assembly. This motor can be purchased from www.solarbotics.com for around $7.

Figure 5: Gear Motor 17 Figure 6 shows a screenshot of the assembled thumb design. The joints are fabricated out of aluminum with stainless steel pins. The bones are made out of carbon fiber, giving the design stability while staying light weight. The thumb will be able to have two degrees of freedom as opposed to the human thumb, which has five. The thumb will be able to move left and right and forward and backward. It will not, however, be able to tilt side to side or move up and down. These were features of the human thumb that we deemed not necessary for the simplified Figure 6: Thumb Assembly prosthetic model. The base lever (pink) will attach to the palm and allow for the rotation of the thumb. Cables will run along the bottom of the base lever and enter into the center of the joint, from which they will connect the next joint and thumb tip. These cables were chosen to run along the inside of the thumb as to mirror the flexion tendons in the human thumb. The design of the joints was modified from Mary-Annes prototype. Figure 7 shows the new joint design, which Figure 7: Joint Design features a two prong device. This will allow

for less hang-ups in operation and less friction. The palm model was also modified to incorporate the design of the thumb. An insertion site was made for the base lever to rest in the palm. From this point, the thumb can rotate 30 degrees. A shaft that connects to

the base lever passes through the opening for the actuator and continues on to the wrist, where it will attach to the gear motor. A slot in the shaft allows for the cables connected to the actuator to run through the thumb without getting caught during rotation. Figure 8 shows the thumb attached to the palm in the fully extended state. The three grasping motions that we have determined are most vital are the tripod, the power grip and the pinch. Ninety percent of human dexterity can be achieved with the use of the index finger, middle finger and the thumb. With these three grasping motions, we suggest that most every day tasks will be able possible. In Inventor 2011, the grasping motions were modeled as shown in Figures 9, 10, and 11. This allowed for the testing of the thumb insertion site and for tweaking the dimensions of the base lever and palm. Figure 9: The Tripod Grasp Figure 11: The Pinch A synthetic skin will house all of the skeletal elements in Figures 9, 10, and 11. This will transform the design from appearing like a mechanical hand to a cosmetically appealing prosthetic. The estimated cost for this design is less than $1,000, Figure 10: The Power

which is about $10,000 less than the least expensive prosthetic hand on the market today. In implementing the design to developing countries, we hope to bring wholeness back into the lives of amputee patients while improving their quality of life through the functionality of the hand. IN CONCLUSION In this paper we have described the prosthetics on the market today compared to what is available in the developing world. This design hopes to fill a niche that is currently empty: providing a prosthetic that is affordable, functional and cosmetic. The hand design is now complete and further work will involve programming the hand to grasping positions and using myoelectric control. While this project is still getting to its feet, it is well on its way to achieving the overall goal of delivering a finished product to amputees in the developing world. Immediate goals include building prototypes of the palm and thumb designs. In doing this, we will be able to test the effectiveness of our grasping techniques and evaluate the overall design. From there, we will be able to edit the current design if need be to improve upon this effectiveness.

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Figure 12: The Point

Bibliography [1] Illini Prosthetics Team. Illini Prosthetics Team Purpose. Web. 3 June 2010. <http://illiniprosthetics.com/purpose>. [2] Strait, Erin. Prosthetics in Developing Countries. Web. 25 May 2010 <http://www.oandp.org/publications/resident/pdf/DevelopingCountries.pdf>. [3] Marrero, Ian C. Hand, Anatomy: eMedicene Plastic Surgery. EMedicine Medical
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Reference. Web. 01 June 2010. <http://emedicene.medscape.com/article/1285060-overview>. [4] Touch Bionics. Web. 10 June 2010. <http://www.touchbionics.com/news2.php?section=11&newsid=59&site=/professionals.php>. [5] bebionic. Web. 11 June 2010. < http://www.bebionic.com/2010/04/06/adult-hand/>. [6] FluidHand: Each finger can be moved separately. PhysOrg.com Science News, Technology, Physics, Nanotechnology, Space Science, Earth Science, Medicine. Web. 11 June 2010. <http://www.physorg.com/news128082539.html>. [7] "Shadow Robot Company: The Hand Technical Specification." Shadow Robot Company: Creators of the Worlds Most Advanced Robot Hand. Web. 11 June 2010. <http://www.shadowrobot.com/hand/techspec.shtml>. [8] Chang, Lillian Y., and Yoky Matsuoka. "A Kinematic Thumb Model for the ACT Hand." IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (2006): 1000-005. Print. [9] Hand. 2010. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 11 June 2010. <http://www.brittanica.com/EBchecked/topic/254068/hand>. [10] Haslow-Hall, Mary Anne. Developing a Low Cost and Easily Manufactured Prosthetic Hand. Honors Summer Research Program. Sweet Briar College. 10 June 2010.

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