Corey Huffman, “Construction of a Cable-Driven Wrist Prosthesis and Performance Index”
Mentors: Mohammad Rahman and Javier Sanjuan De Caro, Mechanical Engineering
This research focuses on the creation and innovation of a cable-driven wrist prosthesis (CDWP) and a performance index that allows us to create the exact dimensioning of the prosthesis called the Anti-Parallel-based local Transmission Index. Because there is an extensive range of upper extremity amputations, each with its own dimensions and interventions, it is necessary to find a common mechanism that is both effective and flexible. Current prosthetics are expensive for most of the populous, so a cheaper alternative is also needed. The CDWP, created with a 1.75mm PLA filament supported by an aluminum tube, is being designed to meet these requirements with the assistance of the index. This device must go through several stages of development. These include 3D-printing the parts, implementing and compacting the circuitry into the physical model, coding the motors to work simultaneously, and refining the model to be as lightweight as possible. The CDWP will be connected to a hand prosthetic, and tests will be run on degrees of freedom and the weight the device can support. Considerations like the stress, strain, and wear of the model must be accounted for during these tests. We expect that the CDWP will be both cost-efficient and durable and that the performance index can be utilized on a wider scale. Through our design and methodology, researchers could construct variations of the device depending on the dimensions of the amputee. This would allow for a more effective way of granting back the use of limbs that had been previously lost.
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Hello, my name is Corey Huffman and I am a freshman here at UWM. I am looking to major in biomedical engineering with a general focus on working with prosthetics. To expand my learning, I have joined the Biorobotics Lab under Professor Rahman and Javier. I joined during the Fall semester of 2020, with most of the experience so far focused on understanding the machines, coding, and procedures used to create prosthetics and the functions behind them. This poster has been a part of that learning process, and I am excited to develop this design further.
Great project. Look forward to future designs and applications.
This seems like a very promising start! I’m impressed by how cheaply this prototype can be constructed after such careful choice of materials. Good luck as you work on further enhancements.