Iteration of a two degree-of-freedom extrinsically powered prosthetic wrist design to meet dimensional, torque output, speed output, and range of motion specifications

Abstract

Over 41,000 upper limb (arm) amputees in the USA will benefit from dexterity of an extrinsically powered prosthetic wrist to prevent overuse of the intact upper limb. On the market, there exist prosthetic hands with no wrist or prosthetic wrists that do not meet dexterity requirements, both of which lead to user rejection. The current design iteration from Prosthetic Systems Design Laboratory meets torque and speed requirements, but falls short on range of motion requirements and overshoots dimensional constraints. The new design is centered around the use of a shorter brushless DC motor that does not require an external transmission.