Biomechanical and
emotional analysis to improve the design and fabrication of sockets
for hand prostheses
Abstract:
The development of
artificial hands has experienced considerable growth in recent
years, especially in the field of 3D printing, which allows easy
customization at a low cost. However, studies devoted to the design
of sockets for upper limb prostheses are still very limited, despite
the fact that this is a particularly relevant part of the
prosthesis, since it is the one in direct contact with the patient's
stump. In fact, the poor fit of the socket is one of the main
factors of rejection of the prostheses. However, as observed in the
literature, the upgrowth experienced by the field of 3D-printed hand
prostheses offers a great potential to develop new methodologies for
the design and manufacturing of prosthetic sockets, providing an
alternative to traditional methods, which are uncomfortable for the
patient and have low reproducibility. Thus, this project aims to
address both the improvement of the design of the sockets and their
manufacturing process. On one side, the design process to improve
the comfort and stability of the socket will imply experimental
analyses of both biomechanical and emotional aspects. Biomechanical
aspects such as the interface pressure between the socket and the
stump, stresses applied, and transpirability will be studied in
order to obtain an improved socket, finding a compromise between
stiffness and flexibility, as well as between lightening the socket
without losing strength. The emotional aspects will be evaluated by
studying the perception of users in terms of comfort, invasiveness
of the manufacturing process, aesthetics or functionality, in order
to improve the design while attending to users’ perception. On the
other side, a manufacturing protocol in order to make the socket
easily reproducible, customizable and affordable will be developed.
This protocol should be easily executable, defining the steps to
manufacture the socket with 3D scanning and printing technologies.
All this would allow designing and manufacturing a socket that
better fits the needs of patients, helping to reduce the rejection
rate and increasing the patients’ quality of life.
