Design of fit-for-purpose, and fit-for-context, purely mechanical upper limb prostheses

Research in upper limb prosthetics largely focuses on electrically powered, multi-degree of freedom devices, which are costly, and require access to reliable charging points and specialist maintenance services, making them difficult to deploy in many lower and middle income settings. Further, rejection rates remain stubbornly high. Purely mechanical prostheses are potentially simpler to manufacture and maintain, may offer significant functional restoration; but current designs are costly, many are uncomfortable and some may not be aesthetically acceptable.

A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to address the complex design, and context-specific challenges, and hence move towards prosthesis designs which are both accessible, and of clear and sustained value to the user. In this symposium we will illustrate how our team have tackled these problems as part of the Fit4purpose upper limb prosthetics project, involving partners in the UK, Uganda and Jordan.