Grasping, Manipulation and Dexterity Evaluation of the UM-PRO-Ia Prosthetic Hand

Recent research in the Robotic Systems Laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Malta has focused on the minimal anthropomorphic approach for the design of artificial hands, in which a general anthropomorphic framework is retained, but is simplified while preserving acceptable dexterity. In this work, the design of a lightweight, three-digit prosthetic hand model that was developed previously in the laboratory using this approach, is improved, and a new prototype is subjected to a comprehensive evaluation of its grasping, manipulation, and dexterity capabilities. This work presents the improved prosthetic hand model designated UM-PRO-Ia, as well as a case study for the evaluation of an artificial hand, using standard benchmarks found in the literature as well as using a new test, developed herein, that evaluates the effectiveness of the prosthesis when used in conjunction with the natural hand to carry out bimanual tasks.