Mechanical Hand Project

Background

In the Spring of 2017, I decided to make a prosthetic arm for my CAPS Engineering project. This prosthetic arm would have a five-year-old client, local to Kansas City. This project would allow me to help someone in need, further develop my CAD skills, and learn to use a 3D printer. The project ended up being a 3D printed mechanical hand, built to attach to an existing prosthetic arm attachment.

Project Video:

This video summarizes the prototyping of my mechanical hand project. This hand was created to be a part of a prosthetic arm, for a 5-year-old in greater Kansas City:

Prototyping:

With a functional elbow, but little forearm, Sven would need an elbow-powered prosthetic arm. Considering this situation, I designed the mechanical hand to attach to an existing prosthetic found on enablingthefuture.org, developed by a team at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Rochester Institute of Technology elbow-powered prosthetic

Aside from this attachment, I designed and manufactured the entirety of this project on my own with the resources provided at Blue Valley’s CAPS program, located in Overland Park, Kansas.

Download and View the Mechanical Hand Executive Summary:

Mechanical Hand Executive Summary (384 KB)

Four Distinct Mechanical Hand Prototypes

Download and View the Dimensioned Parts:

Dimensioned Parts PDF (41.9 M)