Design and development of a novel upper-limb cycling prosthesis

Tiele, A; Soni-Sadar, S; Rowbottom, J; Patel, S; Mathewson, E; Pearson, S; Hutchins, D; Head, JS; Hutchins, S

Abstract

The rise in popularity of the Paralympics in recent years has created a need for effective,
low-cost sports-prosthetic devices for upper-limb amputees. There are various opportunities for
lower-limb amputees to participate in cycling; however, there are only few options for those with
upper-limb amputations. If the individual previously participated in cycling, a cycling-specific
prosthesis could allow these activities to be integrated into rehabilitation methods. This article
describes the processes involved with designing, developing and manufacturing such a prosthesis.
The fundamental needs of people with upper-limb amputation were assessed and realised in the
prototype of a transradial terminal device with two release mechanisms, including a sliding
mechanism (for falls and minor collisions) and clamping mechanism (for head-on collisions). The
sliding mechanism requires the rider to exert approximately 200 N, while the clamping mechanism
requires about 700 N. The force ranges can be customised to match rider requirements. Experiments
were conducted in a controlled environment to demonstrate stability of the device during normal
cycling. Moreover, a volunteer test-rider was able to successfully activate the release mechanism
during a simulated emergency scenario. The development of this prosthesis has the potential to enable
traumatic upper-limb amputees to participate in cycling for rehabilitation or recreation.

Citation

Tiele, A., Soni-Sadar, S., Rowbottom, J., Patel, S., Mathewson, E., Pearson, S., …Hutchins, S. (2017). Design and development of a novel upper-limb cycling prosthesis. Bioengineering, 4(4), 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering4040089

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 13, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Nov 16, 2017
• Publication Date: Nov 16, 2017
• Deposit Date: Dec 11, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 11, 2017
• Journal: Bioengineering
• Publisher: MDPI
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 89
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering4040089
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering4040089
• Related Public URLs: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/bioengineering