Date on Honors Thesis

5-2023

Major

Engineering Physics

Examining Committee Member

Dr. Michael Siebold, Advisor

Examining Committee Member

Dr. James Rogers, Committee Member

Examining Committee Member

Dr. Joshua Ridley, Committee Member

Abstract/Description

This project aims to create a functional prosthetic hand that will improve upon the previous design for this project. The previous design included four fingers which were moved using a four-bar linkage and slider crank mechanism in combination with a linear actuator to move all four fingers in unison. Two servo motors were used to create an opposable thumb that could be used to grasp objects. Movement of the prosthetic hand was activated using a signal received from a myoelectric sensor. The goal of this project is to study this design and attempt to upgrade the prosthetic hand utilizing a budget of $2000. The team has designed a finger that utilizes two different four-bar mechanisms to allow for the movement of the distal, middle, and proximal phalanges. The design also includes a thumb that can be rotated inward to oppose the fingers. The prosthetic hand’s movement is activated using a physical interface connected to a microcontroller, an Arduino Uno, and controlled using a force sensor. The team has added additional degrees of freedom to the prosthetic by using a movable wrist joint. With this design, the team has created a prosthetic hand that can grasp a multitude of objects, maintains a similarity to human biology, and is easily operable. The team has constructed a prototype of this design in order to test its capabilities

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