Mechanical design of a prosthetic shoulder mechanism for upper limb amputees

Due to their restricted mobility, current commercial prosthetic devices for upper limb amputees could be inadequate to satisfactorily rehabilitate patients with the severest injuries, like shoulder-disarticulated patients. The aim of this study is to develop a mechanism which can replicate the function of the missing shoulder joint, increasing the mobility' of the current prosthesis and its overall performance. The mechanical design of the device is highly dependent on the clinical factors of the rehabilitation process: thus an approach which combines both clinical and technical aspects has been used and proposed. This paper summarizes the most significant design steps and describes the most promising solution studied.