A Prosthetic Wrist with an Oblique Plane of Motion to Optimise Device Weight, Size and Functionality

This study investigates the question: If only one degree-of-freedom can be used in a wrist prosthesis, what is its functionally optimal axis of rotation? Earlier work evaluated this hypothesis by estimating the optimal single axis of rotation from real-world data related to healthy wrists (Stavdahl, 2002). An experiment was designed and conducted in order to provide insight into the utilization of the human wrist joint. This was then compared to the activity of users of a novel compact wrist design (Fig. 1) that allowed the axis to be altered and the different orientations tested.