感覚フィードバック機能を備えた無動力型空気式義手の開発

抄録

In recent years, 3D printer technology has brought many projects on the myoelectric hand to provide lightweight and inexpensive ones. However, the use of many mechanical and electronic components still limits the reduction of the total weight and cost. It also causes inevitable battery life problem. Therefore the authors propose a novel self-powered pneumatic prosthetic hand with which no electricity is required. The hand can grasp physical objects flexibly and quickly enough and is superior in portability because no external facilities like tank and compressor are needed in contrast to the traditional pneumatic devices. Driven by the supination motion of the arm, it does not have the restriction of the posture when the user wants to grasp. In addition, the hand is equipped with a tactile feedback system to realize a soft grasping.