User research
PROSTHETIC FINGER
I've always been fascinated by prosthetics. It is in fact the reason that I see mechatronics as a superpower, but because of the long history of badly designed prosthetics, the new age mechatronic limbs are still viewed as a symbol of disability. So when I was asked to make a teleoperation device as an academic project,
I decided to make the fifth finger' to change the outlook towards prosthetics from a symbol of disability to a symbol of super-ability.
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Material: ABS
Fabrication methods: 3D printing, Soldering
PROCESS
I began prototyping with a paper model to understand the rotation and translation in the finger joints. I found out that if the system is not co-axial with the joints there's a linear shift associated with the rotary joint motion. To solve the problem I used "broken-shafts" to add two more degrees of freedom to the system so that natural finger movement is not constrained while measuring.
The output side is controlled by two micro-servos to control the finger-palm joint along with the three finger joints.
The MCU used was Teensy 2.0
Step 1: low fidelity prototyping using paper.
Step 2: Developing proof of concept model and understanding the placement of electronics.
Step 3: Iterating and improving
