Prosthetic development recently has focused mainly on myoelectrically controlled electric hands despite a majority of upper extremity amputees actively choosing body powered devices. Myoelectric hands utilize a small electric pulse generated in muscles when flexing as a signal to the hand to close. Finger flexion in these devices is controlled by electromechanical servos, requiring no strength input from the user. Body powered devices use a cable attached to a shoulder harness which causes mechanical closure of the device via tension placed on a control cable by a shoulder shrug motion or arm extension. Outfitting of active duty service personnel has recently tended to follow the electronic hands which have fragile electronics, have a poor response to user input, and are not fit for harsh outdoor environments. This report will detail the current development of a re-design of a custom left hand prosthesis for an active duty Navy SEAL and the transition from electronic controls to full body power function.
","abstract_html":"<p>Prosthetic development recently has focused mainly on myoelectrically controlled electric hands despite a majority of upper extremity amputees actively choosing body powered devices. Myoelectric hands utilize a small electric pulse generated in muscles when flexing as a signal to the hand to close. Finger flexion in these devices is controlled by electromechanical servos, requiring no strength input from the user. Body powered devices use a cable attached to a shoulder harness which causes mechanical closure of the device via tension placed on a control cable by a shoulder shrug motion or arm extension. Outfitting of active duty service personnel has recently tended to follow the electronic hands which have fragile electronics, have a poor response to user input, and are not fit for harsh outdoor environments. This report will detail the current development of a re-design of a custom left hand prosthesis for an active duty Navy SEAL and the transition from electronic controls to full body power function.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Augustus, Devon Patrick"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Biomedical Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Biomedical and General Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lily Laiho"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:17Z","subjects":["Prosthetic Hand","Body Powered Hand","Outdoor Prosthetic","Locking Prosthetic","Other Rehabilitation and Therapy"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2013.145"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2013.145","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2013.145","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/998","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lily Laiho"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Augustus, Devon Patrick"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-07-30T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biomedical and General Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Biomedical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Prosthetic Hand","Body Powered Hand","Outdoor Prosthetic","Locking Prosthetic","Other Rehabilitation and Therapy"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/998","10.15368/theses.2013.145"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Prosthetic development recently has focused mainly on myoelectrically controlled electric hands despite a majority of upper extremity amputees actively choosing body powered devices. Myoelectric hands utilize a small electric pulse generated in muscles when flexing as a signal to the hand to close. Finger flexion in these devices is controlled by electromechanical servos, requiring no strength input from the user. Body powered devices use a cable attached to a shoulder harness which causes mechanical closure of the device via tension placed on a control cable by a shoulder shrug motion or arm extension. Outfitting of active duty service personnel has recently tended to follow the electronic hands which have fragile electronics, have a poor response to user input, and are not fit for harsh outdoor environments. This report will detail the current development of a re-design of a custom left hand prosthesis for an active duty Navy SEAL and the transition from electronic controls to full body power function.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Navy SEAL Prosthetic Hand"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lily Laiho"],"dc:creator":["Augustus, Devon Patrick"],"dc:date.available":["2015-07-30T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Prosthetic development recently has focused mainly on myoelectrically controlled electric hands despite a majority of upper extremity amputees actively choosing body powered devices. Myoelectric hands utilize a small electric pulse generated in muscles when flexing as a signal to the hand to close. Finger flexion in these devices is controlled by electromechanical servos, requiring no strength input from the user. Body powered devices use a cable attached to a shoulder harness which causes mechanical closure of the device via tension placed on a control cable by a shoulder shrug motion or arm extension. Outfitting of active duty service personnel has recently tended to follow the electronic hands which have fragile electronics, have a poor response to user input, and are not fit for harsh outdoor environments. This report will detail the current development of a re-design of a custom left hand prosthesis for an active duty Navy SEAL and the transition from electronic controls to full body power function.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/998","10.15368/theses.2013.145"],"dc:subject":["Prosthetic Hand","Body Powered Hand","Outdoor Prosthetic","Locking Prosthetic","Other Rehabilitation and Therapy"],"dc:title":["Navy SEAL Prosthetic Hand"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biomedical and General Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Biomedical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:17Z"}