Development of synthetic elbow joint for flexion extension operation - 1 kg payload

Upper limb amputation can have a significant impact on a person’s life. It disables a person from performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). The majority of the currently available prosthesis are solely for cosmetic purposes and do not aid the user in functioning. This paper presents a prototype of a transhumeral prosthesis that employs a novel spur-gear mechanic model tested for flexion- extension operation with up to 1 kg payload. The paper describes the fabrications involved in the components of the joint mechanism and the torque analysis concerning the elbow joint. The proposed system employs the use of a keypad for the input of desired angles and succeeds at achieving a 90 degrees range of motion around the elbow joint and provides 20.96 Kg- cm of torque at 6V DC Power. The system accomplishes 87% precision while rotating to a specified angle and 84% accuracy while gripping payloads.