A Low Cost Bionic Arm Based on Electromyography Sensor

Over the past decade, the number of individuals suffering with disabilities is rising at an alarming rate due to the factors such as increase in population growth, ageing factors and also the occurrence of long-lasting diseases. In particular, limb amputation presents multi-directional challenges as it affects sensation of the body, function of the body, career, self-image and family relationships. To address this issue, bionic arms are suggested. Bionic arms operate by gathering signals from an amputee muscle. Though EMG based bionic arms are existing in the market, utmost of them are too costly to be economically accessible or it is overloaded with heavy weight for long time wearing. This proposed work demonstrates the construction and working of a cost effective, robust and flexible bionic arm controlled through Arduino microcontroller. The designed bionic arm consists of a 3-D printed hand material, a myoware sensor for monitoring muscle activity, an arduino processor, six motors and an extremely stretchable hand glove. The use of myoware sensor has allowed developing the bionic arm to realize the natural movements of the hand. The bionic arm was designed and implemented using 3-D printing and casted with silicone material. The low cost bionic arm has been tested in real time on amputees and results show that it can grasp various objects effectively.