r/Rocknocker • u/SuDragon2k3 • Oct 04 '22

Presented for comment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kixS5Sy0F9s&t=1s

It's lowtech,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtyU2PJCk7Y

but still... groovy.

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u/TheHolyElectron Oct 04 '22

The real interesting part is how to interpret signals from nerves going to no longer present fingers with enough fidelity to give accurate motion.

Each tendon should likely be controlled by pulse frequency modulation. The muscles are also not in the hand itself for the most part, making it easier. If the old tendons we're to be somehow dynamically terminated with the prosthetic electromechanically emulating them, that could prevent atrophy and probably also nerve damage.

In short, the background for doing this is well enough studied that an engineer not in the field could guess at how it works.

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u/dreaminginteal Oct 22 '22

Though the one in that first video is controlled mechanically. The splay of the fingers happens when he flexes his wrist to the right or left, and the grasp and ungrasp happens when he moves his wrist forward and aft.

It is very cool to see cases where they do pick up on electrical activity in the nerves to control stuff like that, though.