Carnes arm - history and current status [update]
Posted on July 14, 2010
Carnes arm and function
The Carnes arm is a sophisticated and mechanical prosthetic arm. It was developed by William T. Carnes and patented from the year 1911 on under the US Patents 760102 (artifical limb), 1046966 and 10469672287781 (artificial arm and hand). Interestingly, the more intricate mechanism that the Germans bought from William Carnes (see below) does not appear to surface in the US Patent files until 1942 (US Patent 2287781).
Filed Under Artwork and Do It yourself Corner, Brands, Carnes Arm, Mechanical works, Prosthesis, Prosthetic hand, Science fiction | Leave a Comment
Approximating the Carroll Quantitative Test for Upper Extremity Function comparing hooks [V2P, Dorrance, Otto Bock] and hands [Otto Bock, Becker Lock Grip]
Posted on February 8, 2010
I am not saying that the Carroll quantitative test for upper extremity function is necessarily the test most related to my own Activities of Daily Living (ADL). It is not.
But manufacturers are going above and beyond their call of duty to build “bionic” prostheses that seem to excite their engineers, the media and that by and large miss the point of functional prosthetic support while public money for research is wasted away on similarly useful gadgetry. Can you believe it? With a BeBionic hand you can even grab an apple? How amazing! With the iLimb, you can hold a water bottle! Wild! And the Otto Bock Michelangelo hand can also grab an apple. Oh, well.
So again amputees are mostly on their own as far as the real works are concerned.
On my way trying to get an understanding of the interplay between grip angles and usefulness I am trying to work towards better defining a modern test for relevant dexterity. And for that, it helps to play with a previously established test and then discuss maybe what it does well, what it does not show, and what it can be used for.
Furthermore, current advertising for “bionic” prostheses [Michelangelo, BeBionic, iLimb] usually show activities that any prosthesis can achieve and as such do not prove a particular point.
After reading through Carroll’s paper, I decided to implement the following tasks:
Filed Under ADA technologies, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Brands, Cable control, Hosmer Dorrance, Movohook 2Grip, Otto Bock, PhysioNetics, Prosthesis, Prosthetic hand, Prosthetic hook, Specifications and comparisons, V2P Prehensor | Leave a Comment
Artistic visions for prosthetic design XIII - Becker Lock Grip hand aesthetics [photo series]
Posted on February 5, 2010
The Becker Lock Grip hand looks good. It is not the most anatomically detailed version of a silicon painted glove hand representation that requires to stay out of trobule - instead, this is industrial design meant to be and designed to be used at all times.
Filed Under "Bionic" prostheses, Artwork and Do It yourself Corner, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Brands, Prosthesis, Prosthetic hand, Red Hand Series / Technical Design Series | Leave a Comment
Carnes arm - hand function
Posted on January 30, 2010
After I discussed the history of the Carnes arm, here is a description of one of the more intricate mechanisms found in later Carnes hands [4]. I find it absolutely fascinating to also consider how history seems to repeat itself.
Filed Under Artwork and Do It yourself Corner, Brands, Cable control, Carnes Arm, Discrimination, Mechanical works, Otto Bock, Prosthetic hand | Leave a Comment
Industrial design issues - iron AND hook or V2P
Posted on December 8, 2009
The experience of ironing with a hook. It is also an industrial design issue as it appears. And while I can not offer perfect solutions, I sure can help detailing the process of handling my iron using my hook and - alternatively - using a special terminal device, the V2P prehensor.
Filed Under "Bionic" prostheses, ADA technologies, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Brands, Cable control, Movohook 2Grip, Otto Bock, PhysioNetics, Prosthesis, Prosthetic hand, Prosthetic hook, Specifications and comparisons, V2P Prehensor | Leave a Comment
Becker Lock Grip hand - gloves
Posted on December 3, 2009
Prosthetic hands are usually equipped with expensive gloves. They look cheap, they feel cheap, they probably are made cheaply - but they cost a fortune. And if they don’t look cool, it’s not cool. Still:
- For cosmetic gloves, I prefer Regal Prosthesis gloves. I feel as if they outperform Otto Bock’s products any time. But then, cosmetic gloves only are so and so cool - not completely.
The Becker Lock Grip size 8 is so standard that several other options are available:
- For cool looking gloves, self made gloves are the thing to make and the thing to wear. If you are creative, why not use a skin photo of your own complexion or actually your other hand and have that printed on a shirt? Then use that fabric to make a glove. That type of fabric printing, these days, is dirt cheap.
- For technical gloves, I tried the Atlas 370 nitrile gloves and I like them a lot. For my size 8 hand, I use gloves sized S (small).
Filed Under "Bionic" prostheses, Artwork and Do It yourself Corner, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Brands, Cable control, Prosthesis, Prosthetic hand, Red Hand Series / Technical Design Series | Leave a Comment
The Monestier-Lescoeur hand
Posted on December 2, 2009
(C) Copyright Jacques Monestier
Jacques Monestier carried out an experimental research programme on 20 amputees for over 30 years. He developed a prehensile prosthetic hand for body powered arms. That prosthetic hand would use the same basic principle as a human hand: the fingers are made of three articulated phalanges each. On the contrary, the thumb does not move and is opposite the indes finger.
This is the second prosthetic hand ever that really defines elegance and while the Becker hand approaches elegance and coolness, the Monestier-Lescoeur hand is just beautiful. It also contains the silence, calm and immediacy of a body powered hand that the myoelectric setups with buzzing motors do not have. No Touchbionics’ iLimb, no Otto Bock’s Michelangelo hand and certainly none of the bionic research hand prototypes come even close in terms of elegance. This is not a gadget, it’s a piece of lovingly made art. And the difference I believe that has in terms of wearing it, that difference is huge. Already the Becker hand makes a huge difference.
Click your way through to the videos and pictures on his website.
Filed Under Artwork and Do It yourself Corner, Cable control, Prosthesis, Prosthetic hand, Science fiction | Leave a Comment
Comprehensive inventory of ADL - Activities of Daily Living - using Becker Lock Grip hand and Otto Bock MovoHook 2Grip as right below elbow amputee
Posted on November 13, 2009
ADL (activities of daily living) are a roundabout way measure by which rehabilitation outcomes are measured. They contain household activities or housework, everyday activities, work and play, eating and laundry, cleaning and fixing up stuff. And, what is good enough for rehab outcomes sure is good enough for me. So I figured why put up with blurred concepts when we can be far more concise?
[this is comprehensive, it really is - this time there are lots - and I mean *lots* - of images - puhleeze, wait until they are loaded, get a drink, go to the bathroom, whatever, *then* read]
Filed Under "Bionic" prostheses, Artwork and Do It yourself Corner, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Becker Hand [Lock Grip, Imperial] {mechanical hand}, Brands, Cable control, Otto Bock, Prosthesis, Prosthetic hand, Red Hand Series / Technical Design Series, Specifications and comparisons | Leave a Comment
