The development of the Edinburgh modular arm system

Abstract

Modularity has not been investigated in any significant way in the development of upperlimb prostheses. The components currently available are the results of different research programmes conducted at different times by a variety of academic and commercial teams. The result is a historical hodge-podge of systems which are largely mutually exclusive in terms of compatibility. The Edinburgh work seeks to solve this problem by designing components which are neutral in structural terms so that left- and right-handed prostheses can be configured from the same basic parts. Currently, child and adult components are separate items; this does not need to be the case and the design presented here allows adult elbow parts to be used as children's shoulders. This paper will cover the rationale behind the design values and the technical aspects of the development.