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- [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
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.
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.
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)