A Gas-Actuated Anthropomorphic Prosthesis for Transhumeral Amputees

Abstract--This paper presents the design of a gas-actuated anthropomorphic arm prosthesis with 21 degrees of freedom and nine independent actuators. The prosthesis utilizes the monopropellant hydrogen peroxide as a gas generator to power nine pneumatic type actuators. Of the nine independent actuators, one provides directdrive actuation of the elbow, three provide direct-drive actuation for the wrist, and the remaining five actuate an underactuated 17 degree of freedom hand. This paper describes the design of the prosthesis, including the design of small-scale high-performance servovalves, which enable the implementation of the monopropellant concept in a transhumeral prosthesis. Experimental results are given characterizing both the servovalve performance and the force and/or motion control of various joints under closed-loop control.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: TROB
• Authors: Kevin Fite, Thomas J. Withrow, Xiangrong Shen, Keith W. Wait, Jason E. Mitchell, Michael Goldfarb
• Keywords: Anthropomorphic Arm Prosthesis, Independent Actuators, Prosthesis, TROB 2008