Cost-Effective Prosthetic Arm

This project aims to design, implement, and control a Cost-Effective prosthetic arm for transhumeral (above elbow) amputees. The commercial prosthetic arms cost (5,000 – 50,000 $). The project aims to find a strategy for producing prosthetic arms that are easy to implement, have adjustable control parameters for each amputee, and have personalized designs. In this project, the new 3D printing technologies can ease the process of implementing personalized prosthetic arms. The challenge here is to find the best strategy for producing the right movement control commands. Different strategies can be used for movement sensation (EMG sensors, or myobands) the choice between these methods depends on the ease of implementing the availability and tool cost. The motivations for conducting this research come from the lack of manufacturing strategies for producing prosthetic limbs locally, given the large number of amputees in Palestinian society.