Design and Development of a Low-Cost Prosthetic Arm: Towards Enhanced Grip Patterns, Versatility, and Accessibility

For people with upper limb limitations, prosthetic arms are vital in helping them regain independence and functionality. The usefulness of prosthetic devices is conditional upon their ability to incorporate the complex motions and sensations of the human hand. Through an in-depth review of the literature and analysis of current prosthetic technology, we identify common gripping patterns used in prosthetic arms. This paper presents the research work done in the field of prosthetic arms. Initially, the prototype was a three-claw gripper that was subsequently upgraded to a five-claw design. The findings of the sensor results, the arm design, the gripping patterns introduced, and accessibility have been discussed in the paper. Further, we have discussed the future scope and how we have tried to make the prototype into a fully-fledged model with unique gripping patterns, strength, human touch, and economically feasible.