SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project develops a new technology for prosthetic arm components, using a lightweight piezoelectric actuator. A piezoelectric actuator will be developed to drive a prosthetic hand. Available arm prostheses have up to three powered degrees-of-freedom, but are sometimes considered too heavy and noisy for their disabled wearers. Lightweight and quiet piezoelectric actuators offer power-to-weight ratios that are over twice that of electromagnetic actuators, and lower the noise of the device. Furthermore, the intrinsic back-lock of a piezoelectric actuator eliminates the need for a mechanical back-lock, which maintains pinch force when the drive is stopped. The broader impacts of this research are the application of these actuators to other prosthetic components for those experiencing the loss of upper limb (a population of over 100,000 Americans). At this time, an estimated 2,000 electric prostheses are fitted each year in the U.S. alone, with equivalent numbers in Western Europe. The improvements offered with this new motor technology could increase this market greatly, making contributions to the independence and functionality of this disabled population

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will combine lighter weight and quiet piezoelectric technology into an innovative Multi-Grip Prosthetic Hand. Current prosthetic hands are too heavy for many wearers, require expensive cosmetic shells and gloves which are damaged in rugged work environments, and are limited in orientation and gripping capabilities. This project will develop a quiet and lighter weight actuation system and integrate it into a new prosthetic hand design that will be rugged and water resistant, increasing function with a two-position thumb for greater gripping capabilities, and a flexible wrist to enhance orientation abilities and reduce shock loads transmitted to the wearer's remnant limb. The broader impacts of this research are that it will result in a Multi-Grip Prosthetic Hand, with water-proof housings and connectors, light-weight motor drive, and two-position thumb design. This hand will offer a type of hand never available before in the prosthetic marketplace. Because of its innovative features, it will open up vocations and working opportunities that were closed to prosthetic hand wearers heretofore. "Return to Work", the goal of Worker's Rehabilitation programs worldwide, will be given a tremendous boost