Bionic arm prosthesis Stradivari: characteristics and prospects of 3D printing development

Multifunctional myoelectric prosthesis Stradivary is the latest development of the Motorika company, which has recently certified a 3D printed pulling prosthetic forearm KIBI+. New product of the developers will allow people with serious upper limbs injuries to forget about the inconveniences. Bioelectric prosthesis will allow using a spoon, fork, writing and drawing, taking small items and getting rid of any discomfort in everyday life. For more details, please see below. 

Myoelectric prosthesis Stradivary works as follows: electrodes read the electric current, which is produced by muscles of the stump at a moment of a contraction, and transmit the data to the microprocessor of the prosthesis resulting in a certain gesture or seizure. New 3D printed bionic prosthesis is perfect for performing fine motor skills.

Stradivary specifications:

• full compliance with the anatomical characteristics of the customer;
• about 6 different grips and gestures, which are selected by the user;
• the possibility of extending the functionality of the prosthesis by adding new gestures and grips;
• up to 12 hours of continuous use and up to 72 hours of operation in the standby mode;
• speed of hand opening and closing - 0.5 seconds;
• full battery charge within 2 hours;
• a removable battery and the possibility of wireless charging;
• aesthetic design;
• the outer shell of the prosthesis is removable;
• special training program to learn the prosthesis functionality.     

According to the PR expert of Motorika Konstantin Deblikov, the purpose of creation of Stradivary is not only the development of high-quality prosthesis, which can serve as a good hand, but also the expansion of human capabilities by use of bionic devices. In the near future, the prosthesis will be equipped with a touch screen and will be able to connect to the network via Wi-Fi. Over time, the prosthesis will perform the functions of a full-fledged smartphone and will be used as a remote control for intelligent devices management.

The design of Stradivarius is a separate issue. Developers want each user to decide how the prosthesis will look like. Therefore, Stradivarius will be available in different designs and colors. Customers will be able to choose bodacious cyber hand just like heroes of computer games have and the version that resembles a normal hand.  

In any case, the basic functionality of Stradivary will allow users to perform many habitual actions and not feel discomfort or limits in daily activities.

Currently, the developers of Motorika are testing myoelectric prosthetic wrist, and after its successful launch, they are going to start the manufacture of a functional prosthesis for the forearm and for the entire arm.

It is worth noting that 3D printing allows Motorika to create affordable innovative prostheses in a fairly short period of time. Due to additive technologies, the company was able to customize the design of prostheses and significantly reduce their cost.