Viable Design of an Arm Prosthesis System

Abstract

A viable design of an arm prosthesis system is presented. The design has addressed some existing challenges by adopting a fresh approach. The design is demonstrated by a simulation model. Dielectric Elastomers (DEs) are implemented into the model. That leads to higher reliability and user-friendliness, because the system contains fewer components. In addition, DEs have the desirable feature of being able to act similar to human muscles, and that makes their integration into human body easier than other technologies. An existing mathematical model of DE material is used to represent the bicep muscle. A set of operational parameters is selected in order to specify the design details. These details include geometric dimensions, forces, power, and control. The proposed design is promising with a displacement of 5 cm and a resisting force of 34 N in response to an applied voltage of only 23 kV.