The Design and Control of a Motorized Prosthetic Arm

Author: Yael Ben Shalom
Final project, MS in Robotics at Northwestern, 2021.

Table of Contents

• Project Description
• Project Overview
• Getting Started

Project Description

In this project, I designed, built, and controlled a motorized prosthetic elbow that imitates healthy arm motion to help amputees prevent falling, avoid injuries, and maintain balance while walking. According to Kent and Major's research, asymmetries in body mass and motion affect the regulation of whole-body angular momentum in individuals with upper limb absence and may increase fall risk.

To better predict the arm-body motion, I analyzed arm movement data patterns, simulated full arm dynamics, and found the relation between walking speed to the angular velocity of the arm.

Please visit my website for more information about this project.

Project Overview

This project contains 4 parts:

1. Data collection
2. Arm motion analysis and modeling
3. Motor control to achieve the desired arm motion
4. Mechanical design of the prosthetic elbow

Getting Started

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/YaelBenShalom/Motorized-Prosthetic-Arm.git
   

2. Install the odrive-tool package. For installation instructions, visit the ODrive getting-started page.

3. Assemble the system according to the system sketch.

4. Connect the module to the computer's USB port and upload the desired ODrive configuration by running:

   python3 setup.py
   

   The controller might need an additional tunning. Follow the tunning instructions on the ODrive control page.

5. Activate the system by running:

   python3 motor_control/odrive_control.py --velocity=<walking velocity>