A Comparison of Robotic Hand Thumb Designs
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Engineering
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
The ever-growing world of robotic prosthetics encompasses many different areas of the human body, and one paramount area is the development of hands. Prosthetic hands are all different in their modeling approach but have similar design, with the exception of the carpometacarpal joint of thumbs. The thumbs from these designs thus have the potential for differing movement capabilities and ease. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of differing degrees of mechanical freedom on a prosthetic hand’s ability to perform simple tasks. It was hypothesized that the hand possessing more degrees of mechanical freedom would outperform the more simple hand design, on the assumption that the additional degrees of freedom better enable movement. The hand designs were sourced from the internet, and then created using a 3D printer. These hands were then evaluated by a series of success-based grip and motion tests to determine the effectiveness of degrees of freedom. The t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the motion of the hands, t(180)= 2.95, SEM= 0.23, t = 1.6535, p< 0.01. The results of this experiment show that additional degrees of freedom in a thumb do not enable a prosthetic hand with increased practical dexterity.
Recommended Citation
Miro, Ryon, "A Comparison of Robotic Hand Thumb Designs" (2022). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 28.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2022/all/28
Location
HSS 111
Start Date
4-2-2022 11:45 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
A Comparison of Robotic Hand Thumb Designs
HSS 111
The ever-growing world of robotic prosthetics encompasses many different areas of the human body, and one paramount area is the development of hands. Prosthetic hands are all different in their modeling approach but have similar design, with the exception of the carpometacarpal joint of thumbs. The thumbs from these designs thus have the potential for differing movement capabilities and ease. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of differing degrees of mechanical freedom on a prosthetic hand’s ability to perform simple tasks. It was hypothesized that the hand possessing more degrees of mechanical freedom would outperform the more simple hand design, on the assumption that the additional degrees of freedom better enable movement. The hand designs were sourced from the internet, and then created using a 3D printer. These hands were then evaluated by a series of success-based grip and motion tests to determine the effectiveness of degrees of freedom. The t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the motion of the hands, t(180)= 2.95, SEM= 0.23, t = 1.6535, p< 0.01. The results of this experiment show that additional degrees of freedom in a thumb do not enable a prosthetic hand with increased practical dexterity.
