This project develops a preliminary prototype of a soft, self-healing bionic arm. While there have been significant advances in prosthetic technology, studies show a high percentage of users abandon their prosthetics. The goal of this project is to reduce abandonment and evaluate the feasibility of developing a low-cost (~$1K), modular, highly realistic, self-healing below-elbow forearm/hand biomimetic prosthetic suitable for helping amputees integrate into society and promote independent community living and participation. The objective is to utilize a biomimetic approach and a novel low-cost multi-material additive manufacturing process to directly print embedded touch sensors and tissue simulants and integrate actuators and wireless control electronics. Self-healing tissue simulants are expected to help repair and extend the product's lifetime. Furthermore, direct printing of embedded tactile sensors provides feedback to support functional capacity, such as fast closing time, multitasking, and reduced mental fatigue. During this phase, measurable characteristics are evaluated such as grip force, grasp speed, durability, size, and weight. Phase II will involve multiple design/evaluation iterations driven by feedback from diverse amputee perspectives.
