1 Fourth LACCEI International Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology (LACCEI’2006) “Challenges and Opportunities for Engineering Education, Research and Development” 21-23 June 2006, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Design of a Low Cost, Highly Functional, Multi-fingered Hand Prosthesis Salim Nasser, Ing. Graduate Student, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA, nasser117@yahoo.com Diana M. Rincon, PhD Assistant Professor, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA, rincond@fiu.edu Manuel Rodriguez Student, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA, rodriguezmj@gmail.com Abstract This paper presents the design, mechanical features, and proposed manufacturing of a functional self- adaptive, multi fingered prosthetic hand that will provide a less-expensive alternative to current high functionality prosthetic hands. Commercially available hand prostheses, though functional, have limitations such as weight, as result of vast numbers of parts, intricate mechanisms requiring constant maintenance as well as the extremely high cost to the user. In general, these types of prosthesis are virtually unattainable to those without medical insurance in developed countries and the general population in developing countries. The hand design discussed is based on an underactuated 15 degree- of-freedom, 1-degree-of-actuation configuration, fully capable of performing activities of daily living. Each finger is fully independent from each other and is designed to adapt to objects of any geometry while possessing the ability to pick up smaller objects through pinching, by means of a position adjustable thumb. The system provides safe and reliable grasping without the need for feed back sensors, multiple servos, or any type of data processing. The design is focused towards providing upper limb amputees with the option of a prosthetic hand that is cosmetically appealing, functionally comparable with other prosthesis of its type, while providing the benefits of decreased cost and weight by eliminating the need for complex electrical systems, micro-processors, and multiple servomotors while decreasing the number of parts and cost of manufacturing. This type of prosthesis can be especially beneficial to amputees from developing countries where the facilities that provide, create, and fit prosthesis have limited resources. The design of the prosthetic hand presented takes advantage of simple manufacturing techniques used in developing countries, hence reducing the dependency on imports from Western countries. Keywords Hand Prosthesis, Underactuated, developing countries, thermoplastic, upper-limb amputees