212. MECHANICAL DESIGN OF A LOW-COST 3D PRINTED ARTIFICIAL FOREARM PROSTHESIS WITH THE ABILITY FOR INDIVIDUAL FINGER CONTROL

Blagoj Hristov; Arjun Nair; Goran Rafajlovski; Vesna Ojleska Latkoska; Gorjan Nadžinski

Blagoj Hristov Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje, Rugjer Bošković bb, P.O.Box 574, 1001 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Arjun Nair Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje, Rugjer Bošković bb, P.O.Box 574, 1001 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Goran Rafajlovski Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje, Rugjer Bošković bb, P.O.Box 574, 1001 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Vesna Ojleska Latkoska Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje, Rugjer Bošković bb, P.O.Box 574, 1001 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Gorjan Nadžinski Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje, Rugjer Bošković bb, P.O.Box 574, 1001 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Keywords: electric prosthesis, 3D printing, mechanical design, electromyography, artificial intelligence

Abstract

Artificial prosthesis technology has had a renaissance in recent years, although the improved and natural control coupled with fast and fluid movements have led to devices which are very expensive and not attainable by the majority of people who need them. In this paper we present a mechanical design of a low-cost 3D printed artificial forearm prosthesis which has the ability for individual finger control using a sophisticated software solution by incorporating artificial intelligence. By using two actuators for each finger instead of one we allow for more precise and robust movements of the prosthetic, and by using affordable yet high-torque servomotors we can keep the price low while offering performance similar to much more expensive devices available on the market. The use of 3D printing is also used in order to drive down the cost of the prosthesis, by implementing materials which are inexpensive yet light, strong and durable.