At present, children with upper-limb deficiencies have few choices of prosthetic prehensors available to them. For many of these children, body-powered devices offer a better--or in some cases the only--rehabilitative option over myoelectric units, but the general state-of-the-art for these conventional grippers has remained relatively unchanged for decades with no genuine innovation or improvement. Existing models do not adequately account for children's muscular exertion profiles, nor do they provide adaptive grasping patterns children need while at play. Under an earlier research program funded by NIH, ADA developed an innovative grasping engine technology for adult body-powered terminal devices that achieves practical variable mechanical advantage. ADA has also formulated a conceptual adaptive digit, patterned after the normal human finger, for use in combination with this grasping engine. This combination is specifically designed to efficiently transform a child's comfortable level of physical exertion into useful adaptive grasp patterns they need for their activities: cylindrical, spherical, and tip-pinch. The integrated prehensor will be designed for low cost, ease of service and repair, and with enhanced dynamic cosmesis, thereby addressing one of the primary concerns of parents--a more normal appearance for their child. ADA's specific Phase I goal is to show that an integrated prehensor combining its grasping engine and a practical adaptive digit pair is technically feasible. In Phase II, a marketable product will be developed and validated through extensive human subject field trials; commercialization will follow in Phase III with the launch of an excellent child's terminal device clinicians can readily prescribe for their patients.
