Figure 1

SoftHand Pro system overview. The hand is composed of three main components: a myoelectric poly-articulated prosthetic hand with soft properties, a passive rotational wrist module, and an outer socket embedding the inner socket for the stump of each user, containing a myoelectric interface/controller. (a) Systems architecture: The motor and the motor control boards are embedded (f) within the myoelectric hand (h), whereas the sEMG-based (b) myoelectric interface/controller (d) is housed within the socket (a, c). A unique tendon (g) connects all the pieces of the fingers (19 DoF) and several elastic bands to a motor (1 DoA) (f), creating a soft under-actuated system designed with the concept of synergies. The passive rotational wrist (e) is placed between these two modules. (b) View of the real system with its glove to increase the fingers traction when grasping. Examples of the hand characteristics in use: (c–f) soft interaction with other subjects or the user own body, (g–h) bimanual activities, (i–j) safe deformation of the fingers in contact with external forces and (k–n) the system adaptive capability to grasp the same object with different pattern grasps depending to the grasping approach decided by the user.