Design optimization of a wire-based ellipsoid joint for bionic wrists

A wrist joint is important for positioning hands to desired position and orientation. It is necessary for prosthetic arms to develop a wrist joint with multi-DoF and light-weight. An ellipsoid joint of a human wrist is suitable for light multi-DoF prosthetic arms, but has limited RoM. In this research, RoM of the ellipsoid joint was improved by optimizing design parameters. The optimized paths of ligaments and tendons of the joint increase the RoM by approximately 25%. The ellipsoid joint with large RoM developed in this research will significantly improve the performances ofprosthetic arms and other safety arms.