{"id":6144,"date":"2016-06-14T19:30:28","date_gmt":"2016-06-14T17:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.swisswuff.ch\/tech\/?p=6144"},"modified":"2019-12-01T14:41:57","modified_gmt":"2019-12-01T12:41:57","slug":"prosthetic-options-and-yenga-intricate-grip-differentiation-details-up-close-grip-mechanics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swisswuff.ch\/tech\/?p=6144","title":{"rendered":"Prosthetic options and Yenga – intricate grip differentiation details [up close grip mechanics]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Playing Yenga at a prosthetic arm workshop was interesting.<\/p>\n

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The hightech iLimb hand (Touchbionics) as all “bionic” prostheses are presented as clever, intelligent or sophisticated. Really, the hands are highly sophisticated, weak but funny, and should be “controlled” with just two signals (one for “open”, one for “close”) and that invariably causes issues. The increasing “control” options built into these hands now amount to an unrecoverable mess of finger combinations termed “grip patterns”, who can neither work (link<\/a>) nor be switched reliably by muscle signals – as one example, they switch grip while carrying a trash bag or hanging clothes (link<\/a>). Really one has to become one big focused non-distracted puppet master that never sweats in order to at least approximate good control<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"armcrazy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Company representatives that spend a lot of their work time for training are just somewhat good, and suffer from chafed stumps just as anyone – without even having actually lifted hard or worked their butts off physically; so the #voightkampff dilemma remains (link<\/a>). When asked how to change a bike tire, the i-Limb ambassador said to take the tire to the bike shop. Of course I can do that without any prosthetic arm. And it is not a surprise – i-Limb and other “bionic” hands are first and foremost symbols, they are representing tools to show case membership of the leisure class (link<\/a>) not working items that are truly meant to be worked (but instead designed edgily (!) to tear down gloves within minutes) – and so, actually “using” them desecrates that actual societal symbolic meaning just as using a clean fresh smelling paper handkerchief is never to be used as “snot rag”, and just as a fast speed-promising sports car such as a Porsche is never to be actually used to drive aggressively (as then it loses its symbolic privilege). So to assume that an i-Limb is meant to be actually used for grip purposes is a misunderstanding. Much rather, it is a hand looking device meant to exhibit gadget properties as symbolic sign of coolness that falls apart already when looking at it. It contains all aspects of a luxury item. As Touchbionics now offer “model upgrades” for their hands, but at a probably very high price, without having clarified their glove situation disaster (link<\/a>), I felt like wanting to first dissect and analyze the relevant grip mechanics, and the Yenga game is just great for that. After all, my existing i-Limb already suffices as symbol of representation, as device to show around; the current problems to be solved are grip reliability, glove durability and electrode \/ software reliability; no obvious need to further add to the damage.<\/p>\n

So, taking a step back. Analysis time, grips.<\/p>\n

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