top of page

2006 - Fluidhand 9

The Fluidhand 9 has 5 drives of different sizes. The base joints of the index finger and middle finger are equipped with stronger drives. The elastic fluid tank is located in the wrist. When the fingers are emptied, they are stretched and the fluid is pumped from the finger joints into the elastic tank in the wrist, bending the wrist and opening the hand further. The pump is noise-isolated and free-swinging in a CFRP tank; valves and controls are located in the metacarpus, which is completely covered with CFRP. The thumb with a drive in the base pivots between flat hand and opposition position to the three-point grip.

For reasons of optimizing speed and tank size, separate drives for the ring and little fingers were omitted, but these two long fingers are actively moved by coupling with the base joint of the middle finger. The control valve for the thumb drive is located in the distal thumb phalanx. The wrist with a 4-pole coaxial insert is compatible with all stem systems, control is via two EMG sensors, and it is possible to switch between several grip types by means of short switching signals.  This last version of the Fluidhand for the time being also features a Bluetooth interface for mobile devices as well as a vibrotactile sense of touch. The Fluidhand 8 is currently the last further development of the multi-articulating hydraulic hand based on flexible fluid actuators. The aim of this hand version was to provide a pre-product ready for series production for a hand prosthesis commercially available on the fitting component market and to convince potentially interested parties of the development for marketing. The bionic hand prosthesis, which is already suitable for everyday use, was manufactured and tested in a small series. It is thus the first bionic multi-articulating hand prosthesis and also the first hydraulic hand prosthesis.

bottom of page