Biyomekanikten esinlenen el ve bilek protezlerinin tasarımı, geliştirilmesi ve işlevsel değerlendirilmesi

This thesis presents a comprehensive exploration and advancement in the field of hand and wrist joint prostheses designs. The primary objective is to address the limitations of current hand prostheses and enhance their functionality to provide improved support for upper-limb amputees in daily living activities. The first aspect of this study focuses on the limitations of existing hand prostheses. Passive prostheses, although common, are hindered by their inability to perform a wide range of tasks, thus necessitating more advanced alternatives. Robotic prostheses offer precise motions and adequate force capabilities but face operational time and motor control challenges. To overcome these limitations, a novel design for a body-powered hand prosthesis is proposed. This innovative design is inspired by the natural movements of the human hand and incorporates a three-dimensional trajectory for the thumb. Elastic elements enable the prosthesis to return to its natural position after the application of forces through tendons from the opposite shoulder. With 8 degrees of freedom in the fingers, the prosthesis is prototyped using a 3D printer with ABS material. Performance evaluations demonstrate that this prosthesis, weighing 168 g, enables users to perform a wide range of activities of daily living, including pinching, grasping, and power gripping, thus significantly improving the functional capabilities of the hand prosthesis. The second aspect of this research focuses on the importance of a wrist joint for upper-limb amputees. A new, lightweight, and stiffness pre-conditioned 2-DOF wrist joint is introduced specifically for transradial amputees. This wrist joint incorporates an innovative load-transferring mechanism, allowing modulation of joint stiffness to handle objects of varying weights. The use of a 3D printer with ABS material and a brushless DC motor for joint stiffness modulation results in a functional and practical wrist joint design. The successful functional evaluation of the RoboWrist under different load settings proves its efficacy in adapting to the diverse weight requirements of handled objects.