DEVELOPMENT, INTEGRATION AND TESTING OF A TRANSRADIAL PROSTHETIC DEVICE

Abstract

There are more than 1 million annual amputations globally, with a significant number of those being below-elbow amputees. While prosthesis are vital in enabling amputees to lead somewhat normal lives, a number of patients end up abandoning their prosthesis. Common reasons include poor suspension, perspiration, low sensory feedback, expensive price tag and limited functionality. One of the major issues with existing prosthesis is limited functionality. Existing models of prosthesis offer only a few degrees of motion on the forearm, whereby the users have to rely on passive action to complete certain tasks. This greatly limits the real life use case of the prosthesis. The following paper aims to propose and design a prosthesis to address this issue, with active three degrees of motion on the forearm. The result is a below-elbow transradial prosthesis that allows for more functionality, all the while optimizing the overall weight, sensory feedback and price of the end product.