ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

New Robotic Prosthetic Hand Replicates the Real Deal

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
February 24, 2016 - Updated on November 16, 2020
in News, Technology
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Paralyzed Man Moved a Robotic Arm Using Only His Thoughts Thanks to AI. It Kept Working for Months
Four leading brands are responsible for 500,000 tons of plastic pollution per year
Book Review: ‘Measuring Happiness: The Economics of Well Being’
Missing link finally found! Beer’s missing link that is

Most modern prosthetics try to look like the real deal, while still featuring underlying robotics. Two researchers at the University of Washington’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering wanted to try another approach – to create a hand that acts like its biological equivalent, even though it may not look like one.

In order to do this, they looked at the human hand as if it were just a mechanical device. They took scans of the bones and muscles and then 3D printed copies to make it as realistic as possible. The idea was to make the structure of the prosthetic based on the structure of the human bones. They also implemented pulley mechanisms, artificial joint capsules, crocheted ligaments and tendons, and other devices for this task. According to IEEE, joint ligaments (which stabilize joints and control their range of motion) are made of high strength Spectra strings, with laser-cut rubber sheets replacing the soft tissues that add joint compliance. Extensor and flexor tendons (for straightening and bending fingers) are also made of Spectra, with more laser-cut rubber sheets for the tendon sheathing and extensor hood, which is a complex webbed multi-layered structure that wraps around the fingers to help manage flexibility and torque.

There’s not detail available about this at the moment, because a paper hasn’t been presented yet.The paper that will be presented at the ICRA in Stockholm, Sweden this coming May: Design of a Highly Biomimetic Anthropomorphic Robotic Hand towards Artificial Limb Regeneration.

Image: Movement Control Laboratory/University of Washington
Image: Movement Control Laboratory/University of Washington

According to Zhe Xu, one of the two researchers working on this project, believes that developing true antropomorphic prosthetics is key to developing proper dexterity:

“The conventional approach to designing anthropomorphic robotic hands often involves mechanizing biological parts with hinges, linkages, and gimbals in order to simplify the seemingly complicated human counterparts. This approach is helpful for understanding and approximating the kinematics of the human hand in general, but inevitably introduces undesirable discrepancies between the human and robotic hands since most of those salient biomechanical features of the human hand are discarded in the mechanizing process. The inherent mismatch between mechanisms of these robotic hands and biomechanics of human hands essentially prevents us from using natural hand motion to directly control them. Thus none of the existing anthropomorphic robotic hands can achieve the human-level dexterity yet.”

He also says that this type of technology could be used as a “scaffolding” to help with limb regeneration research.

“The control of prosthetic hands essentially relies on human brain. Therefore the same neuroprosthetic technologies could be more effective if the design of the prosthesis could be more similar to its biological counterpart. Biocompatible materials can now be printed to form bone structures, biodegradable artificial ligaments have been used to replace the torn anterior cruciate ligaments, human muscles have been successfully cultivated inside petri dish, and peripheral nerves can also be regenerated given the right conditions. All of the these promising technologies require suitable scaffolds for the growth of grafted cells. We are going to collaborate with researchers from biology and tissue engineering to further explore its potential to serve as a bio-fabricated device/scaffold in the emerging fields of neuroprosthetics and limb regeneration.”

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Chemistry

This Startup Is Using Ancient DNA to Recreate Perfumes from Extinct Flowers

byTibi Puiu
7 hours ago
News

Jupiter Was Twice Its Size and Had a Magnetic Field 50 Times Stronger After the Solar System Formed

byTibi Puiu
8 hours ago
Pieces

How One Man and a Legendary Canoe Rescued the Dying Art of Polynesian Navigation

byMihai Andrei
9 hours ago
News

A Swedish Library Forgot to Close Its Doors and Something Beautiful Happened

byMihai Andrei
10 hours ago

Recent news

This Startup Is Using Ancient DNA to Recreate Perfumes from Extinct Flowers

May 21, 2025

Jupiter Was Twice Its Size and Had a Magnetic Field 50 Times Stronger After the Solar System Formed

May 21, 2025

How One Man and a Legendary Canoe Rescued the Dying Art of Polynesian Navigation

May 21, 2025 - Updated on May 22, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.