MODESTA prosthesis – has the ice broken or has the test failed?

At the end of the article you can see a video with test results.

Our path with a five-fingered product sample.

Initially, back in 2021, our team began developing a prosthesis similar to a human hand.
Such a product could be an excellent cosmetic option for appearance (due to the five fingers), but the question arose:
“What exactly can it give to the user when used in everyday life?”

The grip efficiency, strength and strength are relatively low, therefore, these prostheses are practically not applicable in solving everyday problems. Through experience, we have come up with a robotic grip and create a strong and stylish prosthesis that will definitely stand out and be useful for a wide range of tasks, such as:

– holding thin objects (knife, spoon, pen, brush, card, sheet of paper, etc.);

– gripping bottles (1.5 l.), mugs, etc.

This solution provides greater freedom of movement, which improves ease of use.

Why is the production process of creating anthropomorphic products (similar to a human hand) becoming more complicated?

1.) The mechanics of the five-fingered prosthesis, the compressive force, strength and grip do not allow it to be used as an everyday assistant (micromotors, which account for up to 60% of the total cost of the TSR, are often the first to fail);

2.) The lack of feedback does not provide tactile sensations, so it is difficult for the user to get used to the prosthesis. Lack of accurate grip strength information leads to difficulties when handling fragile objects. Only in 5% of cases the user follows the recommendations of specialists. Based on our experience in prototyping and testing five-fingered products, we observe that each of the above problems reflects the lack of effectiveness of the prosthesis, which results in the user refusing to wear it every day. Often the product becomes only a “beautiful” cover for an injury. How can you achieve natural motivation to learn to wear a prosthesis?

So, having tested five-fingered prototypes, we came to the understanding that these prostheses do not completely cover the basic functionality (simple actions in everyday life), and began developing a product aimed at solving the user’s daily problems. What benefit did we find? A simple and reliable mechanism with feedback and an individual approach to rehabilitation (recovery after injury) and habilitation (mastering a prosthesis), including using software.

We solve problems existing in the market through:

1.) Strong hand mechanics, without scarce micromotors, intuitive controls, one but multifunctional grip and the ability to quickly replace the hand;

2.) Using vibrotactile feedback so that the user can get basic sensations (for example, distinguish between the presence of a prosthesis in the hand, an object and its physical state);

3.) Development of an IT platform to establish an individual approach to creating a program, rehabilitation and habilitation of the patient, the opportunity to observe the learning process (for young users in a playful way and with subsequent rewards). All this allows you to control the movements of the hand, from touching to strong squeezing, which helps in
ensuring accuracy and comfort when using the product in everyday life.

We master the craft of turning and make bushings, axles, and washers for the product. We make most of the internal components of the prototype ourselves.