Smart sensing and actuators for people with hand motion impairment

Assistive technology (AT) supports individuals who experience difficulties in carrying out daily life physical activities, for example, people with disabilities, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, bone and joint disorders, heart disease, or stroke. Thanks to assistive technologies, these patients can regain their independence by using permissive devices to carry out physical activities without human assistance, and in ways that mirror healthy individuals. Hence, ATs support the autonomy of people who have been physically limited or have cognitive dysfunction. AT is also known as access technology, including mechanical, optical, electronic, and computer solutions to benefit people with sensory or motor impairments, thus allowing them to perform routine tasks that were previously impossible to execute. This chapter presents a prosthesis that has been designed for people with locomotor disabilities and deficiencies. The device is low cost, has low energy consumption, and is easy to use by a person with a hand disability. The subsequent developing stage will consist of transitioning from a traditional prosthesis to a neuroprosthesis, by using sensor networks and controlling the device (bionic prosthesis) through smart sensors and actuators, with control systems having microcontroller unit (MCU), brain-computer interface, and NextMind interfaces.