SwissProsthetics

People suffering from forearm loss or upper amelia (congenital absence of a limb) are restricted in the types of activities they can engage in. To address their specific needs, SwissProsthetics has designed prosthetic hand modules for participating in various activities. It has developed and successfully tested solutions for cycling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and playing tennis, among others. The hand modules are connected to an adaptive shaft by a quick-release coupling system that makes it possible to attach and release the prosthetic modules quickly and reliably. The range of applications has been continuously modified and expanded.

The project was launched as a two-year cooperative venture between appsocial.org and the Institute of Mechatronic Systems at ZHAW in Winterthur. At Wyss Zurich, the project team carried out the process steps required for market entry in close collaboration with the project’s initiator and mentor, Professor Andreas Trojan, MD. The project team completed various user testing series, developed the prosthetic device as a medical device class 1 product, implemented a user-centric design approach by soliciting regular user feedback, and created an online configurator for a personalized shaft system.

The project was originally intended to continue independently of Wyss Zurich, but unfortunately that was not possible.