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SA polymer grabs artificial hand development
WWI and WWII, as well as current conflicts, have seen advancements in the design of prosthetic hands. Southampton University is responsible for a considerable body of work in developing artificial limbs, as well as creating the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure, which assesses hand function.
“A main constraint in the design of a hand for the replacement of a lost natural hand is that its mass should be kept as low as possible,” notes primary investigator Paul Chappell. As a result, the Southampton-Remedi hand uses carbon fibre sheet and Vesconite Hilube, with metals only being used on the actuators of the electric drives.
A South African product, Vesconite Hilube is a polymer which is used in the thumb of the hand, and as the bearing material for the ends of the worm and wheel shafts at the base of the fingers.
The Southampton-Remedi hand has four motors that move the fingers and two motors that allow for flexion (movement towards the palm), and extension (movement away from the palm) as well as rotation of the thumb.
The hand can grip and grasp objects securely and, when electrical power is turned off from the batteries, a stable grip should be maintained using worm-wheel gearboxes.
In addition, the current generation of the hand also, importantly, incorporates touch, position, slip, texture and temperature sensors.
