ProHand

Click here to watch the video about our advancements on the Swiss National Italian television.

ProHand is an innovative robotic prosthetic hand controlled with machine learning and produced with additive manufacturing.

Upper limb amputation is a major injury that can strongly affect the daily life of a person. Prosthetic hands that can execute multiple movements are available but they are expensive and difficult to control. Natural control via pattern recognition is promising but it is applied mainly in scientific research, so far. 3D printing can revolutionize prosthetics with affordable solutions that can also include dexterous control.
The ETH-hosted CYBATHLON is a competition in which disabled people compete on everyday tasks using state-of-the-art assistive systems. This is the best venue to test a prosthesis.
During the last 9 years, our group advanced prosthetics by creating the biggest publicly available database to control hand prostheses with pattern recognition (Ninapro), by developing innovative control methods and by testing pattern-recognition-based control of 3D printed hand prostheses such as the HANDi Hand (video link) .

The ProHand goals are: 1) To develop a dexterous 3D printed prosthetic hand that can be used in real life conditions. 2) To test the prosthetic hand on the tasks of the CYBATHLON 2020 powered prosthetic arm race. Expected results include, first a dexterous, robust and low cost 3D printed hand prosthesis and, second, the evaluation of the prosthesis using the CYBATHLON tasks (or the participation in the CYBATHLON if allowed by the ProHand advancement).

The 3D printed, dexterous, robotic prosthetic hand can improve the life of hand amputees worldwide and foster improvements in research and for future commercial prosthetic hand.

Read our Medium post to know more about what we are are doing!

Project Coordinator
Dr. Manfredo Atzori (HES-SO Valais)

Team

• Dr. Manfredo Atzori (HES-SO Valais & Dept. of Neuroscience, University of Padova)
• Franco Reggiani (HES-SO Valais, Dynatec Studio)
• Prof. Henning Müller (HES-SO Valais)

• Prof. Nicola Petrone (Dept. of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova)

• Prof. Franco Bassetto (Padova University Hospital, Clinic of Plastic Surgery)
• Dr. Cesare Tiengo (Padova University Hospital, Clinic of Plastic Surgery)

• Jacopo Lazzaro Playcast srl
• Giosuè Alberti Playcast srl

Former team members
• Matteo Cognolato (HES-SO Valais)
• Alessandro Buosi (HES-SO Valais)
• Dr. Diego Faccio (Padova University Hospital, Clinic of Plastic Surgery)

Financing Entities



Faulhaber