Inflatable Smart Hands Provide Real-Time Tactile Control

Engineers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a highly dexterous neuroprosthetic hand capable of performing an array of everyday activities. This soft, lightweight smart hand provides tactile feedback and can be made at a fraction of the cost of traditional neuroprosthetics.

“This is not a product yet, but the performance is already similar or superior to existing neuroprosthetics, which we’re excited about,” says Xuanhe Zhao  , professor of mechanical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT.

Transcript

00:00:00 (ambient music) - [Narrator] A team of engineers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have designed a soft, lightweight, and potentially low cost neuroprosthetic hand that enables a wide range of daily activities, such as zipping a suitcase, shaking hands, and petting a cat. Their new smart hand is comprised of five fingers

00:00:24 made from a soft stretchy material and weighs about half a pound, a fraction of the weight of traditional prosthetics. The fingers are then attached to a 3D printed palm, shaped like a human hand. Rather than controlling each finger using expensive, heavy mounted electrical motors, this smart hand employs a pneumatic system that uses compressed air to inflate the fingers and bend them in specific positions.

00:00:50 Sensors are fitted where the prosthetic attaches to the user's limb to measure electrical signals generated by motor neurons that control muscle. Then, an algorithm decodes the muscle signals and relates them to common grasp types. For instance, when an amputee imagines holding a glass of wine, the sensors pick up the residual muscle signals, which is then translated into corresponding pressures.

00:01:17 A pump then applies those pressures to inflate each finger and produce the amputee's intended grasp. The team is now working to improve its sensing and range of motion, which could further their goal of amputees regaining a form of sensation and real-time control using their lightweight, affordable inflatable hand. (upbeat music) (ambient music)