A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions
Abstract A human hand has 23-degree-of-freedom (DOF) dexterity for managing activities of daily living (ADLs). Current prosthetic hands, primarily driven by motors or pneumatic actuators, fall short in replicating human-level functions, primarily due to limited DOF. Here, we develop a lightweight pr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56352-5 |
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| author | Hao Yang Zhe Tao Jian Yang Wenpeng Ma Haoyu Zhang Min Xu Ming Wu Shuaishuai Sun Hu Jin Weihua Li Liu Wang Shiwu Zhang |
| author_facet | Hao Yang Zhe Tao Jian Yang Wenpeng Ma Haoyu Zhang Min Xu Ming Wu Shuaishuai Sun Hu Jin Weihua Li Liu Wang Shiwu Zhang |
| author_sort | Hao Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A human hand has 23-degree-of-freedom (DOF) dexterity for managing activities of daily living (ADLs). Current prosthetic hands, primarily driven by motors or pneumatic actuators, fall short in replicating human-level functions, primarily due to limited DOF. Here, we develop a lightweight prosthetic hand that possesses biomimetic 19-DOF dexterity by integrating 38 shape-memory alloy (SMA) actuators to precisely control five fingers and the wrist. The prosthetic hand features real-time sensing of joint angles in each finger, feeding data into a control module for selectively heating or cooling SMA actuators in a closed-loop manner, mimicking the functioning of human muscles. Enabled by the high-power density of SMAs, the hand part (from the wrist to the fingertip) only weighs 0.22 kg, much lower than existing products. We also integrate an onboard power management module that provides electricity for operating the entire system. In addition to 33 standard grasping modes, this prosthetic hand supports 6 advanced grasping modes designed for enhanced dexterity evaluation, expanding the range of achievable ADLs for amputees while facilitating standard prosthesis function tests and validation in real-world scenarios. This innovation offers a significant advancement in prosthetic hand functions, promising improved quality of life for users. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-abf52829b88b47e9bfe1272c70d39759 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-abf52829b88b47e9bfe1272c70d397592025-01-26T12:42:24ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111310.1038/s41467-025-56352-5A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functionsHao Yang0Zhe Tao1Jian Yang2Wenpeng Ma3Haoyu Zhang4Min Xu5Ming Wu6Shuaishuai Sun7Hu Jin8Weihua Li9Liu Wang10Shiwu Zhang11Institute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaSchool of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Anhui UniversityInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaThe First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaSchool of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of WollongongInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaInstitute of Humanoid Robots, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of ChinaAbstract A human hand has 23-degree-of-freedom (DOF) dexterity for managing activities of daily living (ADLs). Current prosthetic hands, primarily driven by motors or pneumatic actuators, fall short in replicating human-level functions, primarily due to limited DOF. Here, we develop a lightweight prosthetic hand that possesses biomimetic 19-DOF dexterity by integrating 38 shape-memory alloy (SMA) actuators to precisely control five fingers and the wrist. The prosthetic hand features real-time sensing of joint angles in each finger, feeding data into a control module for selectively heating or cooling SMA actuators in a closed-loop manner, mimicking the functioning of human muscles. Enabled by the high-power density of SMAs, the hand part (from the wrist to the fingertip) only weighs 0.22 kg, much lower than existing products. We also integrate an onboard power management module that provides electricity for operating the entire system. In addition to 33 standard grasping modes, this prosthetic hand supports 6 advanced grasping modes designed for enhanced dexterity evaluation, expanding the range of achievable ADLs for amputees while facilitating standard prosthesis function tests and validation in real-world scenarios. This innovation offers a significant advancement in prosthetic hand functions, promising improved quality of life for users.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56352-5 |
| spellingShingle | Hao Yang Zhe Tao Jian Yang Wenpeng Ma Haoyu Zhang Min Xu Ming Wu Shuaishuai Sun Hu Jin Weihua Li Liu Wang Shiwu Zhang A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions Nature Communications |
| title | A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions |
| title_full | A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions |
| title_fullStr | A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions |
| title_full_unstemmed | A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions |
| title_short | A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions |
| title_sort | lightweight prosthetic hand with 19 dof dexterity and human level functions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56352-5 |
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