Everyday tasks such as holding a bottle, typing on a keyboard, opening a door, or picking up a pen are actions most of us perform without thinking. For millions of people living with upper-limb loss, these simple activities can become significant challenges that affect independence, confidence, and quality of life.

While modern prosthetic technology has advanced considerably, many solutions remain prohibitively expensive, difficult to customize, or inaccessible to students, researchers, and people in developing regions. Devices that offer advanced functionality often cost thousands of dollars, creating a gap between innovation and accessibility.

Prosthetic Arm V1 is an attempt to bridge that gap.

The goal of this project is to design a lightweight, modular, and affordable prosthetic arm that can be manufactured using 3D printing and standard electronic components. Rather than focusing solely on appearance, the design prioritizes practical functionality, durability, and ease of maintenance.

Current Objectives
Design an anatomically inspired finger and joint mechanism.
Develop smooth and reliable tendon-driven motion.
Create a modular structure that allows individual parts to be replaced or upgraded.
Keep manufacturing costs as low as possible without sacrificing functionality.
Build a foundation for future versions with improved dexterity and sensor integration.
Progress

Today, I completed the initial CAD model for one of the fingers and started testing the joint geometry. The focus is on achieving a balance between strength, range of motion, and ease of assembly before moving on to full-hand integration.

This is only Version 1, and there is still a long way to go, but every iteration brings the project one step closer to creating an accessible prosthetic solution that anyone can build, improve, and use.

Next milestone: Complete the middle finger and begin integrating the tendon routing system.