Project aims for affordable body-powered prostheses

Losing an arm can have a huge impact on someone’s quality of life, but for those in the developing world, it can affect a person’s ability to support themselves.

Now a team of researchers in the UK, Uganda and Jordan is hoping to improve the design of prostheses for use in developing countries, where conflict and high numbers of road traffic accidents mean demand for such devices often outstrips supply.

Body-powered prostheses, in which cables allow the artificial limb to be controlled by movement of the shoulders, are relatively simple to manufacture and maintain, making them well suited to use in lower and middle income countries.

However, the devices have seen very little development since the early 20^th century, and are often rejected by patients who find them hot and uncomfortable to wear, with limited functionality.

So the team, led by Prof Laurence Kenney at Salford University, is hoping to address some of these problems, as part of the EPSRC-funded project. The researchers will design and develop body-powered prostheses suited for use in countries like Uganda and Jordan.