Soft Robotic Prosthetic

For the last 18 months of high school, I attended NuVu, an “innovation school” in Central Square. For one six-week period, we were asked to explore a previous project in depth: Building on my past experience in creating a soft robotic hand, I chose to try to develop a truly practical soft robotic prosthetic arm.

Soft robots have many inherent advantages over conventional robots when building human-centered devices; they are more comfortable for the wearer and, unlike standard metal robotic claws or grips, offer delicate precision touch. Unfortunately, soft robotics have for the most part been stuck in the realm of research, because nearly all of them need to be tethered to heavy pneumatic equipment. In effect, the pumps that make them work make them impractical as real-life prosthetics. The main challenge in developing this soft prosthetic arm was building a pump with enough power and speed to be effective while being small enough to fit inside the arm.

Materials: Silicone, carbon fiber, solenoids, brushless motor, PLA

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