Soft Everting Prosthetic Hand and Comparison with Existing Body-Powered Terminal Devices

Abstract: In this paper, we explore the use of a soft gripper, specifically a soft inverting-everting toroidal hydrostat, as a prosthetic hand. We present a design of the gripper integrated into a body-powered elbow-driven system and evaluate its performance compared to similar body-powered terminal devices: the Kwawu 3D-printed hand and the Hosmer hook. Our experiments highlight advantages of the Everting hand, such as low required cable tension for operation (1.6 N for Everting, 30.0 N for Kwawu, 28.1 N for Hosmer), limited restriction on the elbow angle range, and secure grasping capability (peak pulling force required to remove an object: 15.8 N for Everting, 6.9 N for Kwawu, 4.0 N for Hosmer). In our pilot user study, six able-bodied participants performed standardized hand dexterity tests. With the Everting hand compared to the Kwawu hand, users transferred more blocks in one minute and completed three tasks (moving small common objects, simulated feeding with a spoon, and moving large empty cans) faster (p~$\leq$~0.05). With the Everting hand compared to the Hosmer hook, users moved large empty cans faster (p~$\leq$~0.05) and achieved similar performance on all other tasks. Overall, user preference leaned toward the Everting hand for its adaptable grip and ease of use, although its abilities could be improved in tasks requiring high precision such as writing with a pen, and in handling heavier objects such as large heavy cans.