Several commercial neuroprostheses are available that can sense amputees’ residual muscle signals and mimic their intended motions robotically. However, these neuroprostheses are expensive, heavy, and rigid and are usually built around metal skeletons. Researchers from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the US, have developed a lightweight, soft, and low-cost neuroprosthetic hand that gives amputees real-time tactile control. The novel robotic hand helps amputees perform daily activities like shaking hands, petting a cat, and zipping a suitcase.
The findings of this study have been published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. About the prosthetic hand The prosthetic hand consists of five balloon-like fingers. Unlike other neuroprosthetic models that use electric motors to control each finger, a simple pneumatic system has been used in…
