Investigations towards a Homogenous Approach for an Active Transradial Upper Limb Prosthetics – A Path towards Simplicity

Abstract

In this paper, an effort is made at reviewing the rise and growth of prosthetic hand in the field
of biomedical engineering is made. In such interpretation a thorough assessment of various
author’s view are discussed. The evolution of robotic hands from a simple skeleton-like
metallic hands to smart, body powered cybernetic prosthetic hands is investigated. The role of
artificial intelligence in making the prosthesis more user friendly and the importance of
effective signal processing plays a vital role in designing the prosthesis. The analysis is
focussed mainly on the functional requirements like grip stability, manipulative agility and
human adaptability. The paper illustrates some new and difficult challenges faced during
designing a prosthetic hand. Every year the complexity of designing the prosthetic is
considerably reduces owing to the utilization of latest signal processing techniques and
algorithms. With reduced complexity the cost of manufacturing also decreases making the
prosthetic hand affordable for everyone.