Development of a 5-Fingers 3D-Printed Prosthetic Hand with Tactile Sensors

This thesis project presents a 3D-printed prosthetic hand equipped with embedded 3D force tactile sensors. The research was conducted at Contactile Pty Ltd, located in Sydney, Australia, with the primary objective of developing the first prototype of a bionic hand entirely produced within the startup, specifically designed for the integration of tactile sensors. Given that this was the startup's inaugural bionic hand model, there was no pre-existing product to build upon. An open-source CAD design was adapted and customized to meet the requirements of this new device, then the model was produced using 3D printing technology, and the electronic design and implementation were realized during the internship. Once developed, the device approached a testing procedure on a real user, and the information gained will be of crucial importance for the development of a more sophisticated second-generation product.