Our journey among the innovative technologies developed by our team continues.
We have already told you about two of the main features of our device, the natural control and intuitive thumb rotation. Now the time has come to tell you about another feature that really makes Adam’s Hand® the first of its kind: its unrivaled robustness and exceptional compliance.
What are the needs of patients with upper limb amputation?
Those living with a limb difference often complain of not being able to find a sufficiently robust and flexible prosthesis. A hand that is not constantly subject to breakage, often caused by minimal external shocks, or that requires continuous maintenance.
For this reason, our goal has always been to create a device that fully satisfies the expectations of patients and orthopedic technicians. The technological development carried out by our teams of professionals for Adam’s Hand® paves the way for significant adaptations that characterize the functional prostheses of most of the anthropomorphic elements of the human hand.
In fact, we designed a bionic hand that can transform and improve the quality of life of patients who live with a limb difference, thanks to its specificities.
One above all: the exceptional compliance of the fingers. An intrinsic and distinctive feature – compared to the other multi-articulating prostheses on the market – which improves their robustness and overall stability. But… Let’s go step by step!
Adam’s Hand®: the freedom to live to the fullest
The combination of robustness and compliance can offer to those who wear the Adam’s Hand® a sense of freedom that goes beyond any obstacles imposed by limb difference.
Adam’s Hand® gives back to people the ability to perform daily activities, restoring their independence and improving their quality of life. A robust and compliant multi-articulating hand allows patients to tackle daily tasks such as eating, dressing and manipulating objects with great confidence.
The mechanism of the Adam’s Hand® exceeds expectations in this sense: the fingers from index to little finger are connected to each other, so they tend to compensate for each other’s movements. This has two main advantages:
- When an object is grasped, the fingers envelop it completely, automatically distributing the grip forces in the best way between the various points of contact with the object, thus guaranteeing an extremely firm grip;
- This also happens when the object is moving inside the grip, so the fingers readjust themselves instantly and passively – without the patient’s direct control – to ensure that the grip forces are always distributed in the most stable way possible.
This exclusive automatic adjustment function allows the patient to grasp and manipulate objects with exceptional grip stability.
The high robustness of the Adam’s Hand®
The same compliance also allows the Adam’s Hand® to withstand external stresses and absorb shocks effortlessly. In fact, if the fingers are subjected to forces which tend both to flex or extend them, they absorb them, compensating for the reciprocal movements and making the prosthesis intrinsically more robust.
Furthermore, this mechanism isn’t based on clutches, which could deteriorate over time, losing its functionality: the Adam’s Hand® compliance is never-ending and makes the device flexible, adaptive and robust – even in its smallest mechanical parts.
But how did we achieve such a satisfactory result? The meticulous design of the components and selection of the materials are essential elements for the realization of a distinctive product. Specifically, the Adam’s Hand® core is produced in stainless steel and the fingers joints are made with aviation grade aluminum, while the plastic cover is built with impact resistant polymers.
These features allow it to safely resist high stresses while keeping its weight as low as possible.
In particular, the Adam’s Hand® presents the highest static loads in the category of multi-articulating prostheses:
- 40 kg (88 lb) hand carry load with the hook grip.
- 120 kg (265 lb) vertical push-down load through knuckles.
- 32 kg (70 lb) QDW max flexion load (at 75mm from wrist).
- 75 kg (165 lb) static force on the cover.
The robustness of the device is also expressed when in contact with water and dust, with an IP67 certification that allows it to be used in all daily activities that involve contact with liquids and dust, such as gardening or washing hands. But soon we will tell you more about this in a new article!
In this way, the patients can fully rely on an upper limb prosthesis that allows them to perform all major activities of daily life easily and safely, whether picking up delicate objects or handling heavy objects.
Functionality is our priority!
With its ability to automatically compensate for the movements of grasped objects and resist external stresses, Adam’s Hand® represents a significant step forward in prosthetic technology.
By prioritizing the user experience, Adam’s Hand® allows the patients to express their full potential in their everyday life.
If you missed our previous articles dedicated to the features of the Adam’s Hand®, you can discover them in the tech section of our Blog.
Keep following us to learn more about the technology behind our products!
