Hannes is a prosthetic hand developed as part of a collaboration between the Prosthetic Center of INAIL and the Italian Institute of Technology. It’s a new concept of a poly- articulated hand, able to restore over 90% of lost functionality in people with a limb amputation. One of the main aspects of innovation regarding competitors is the achievement of naturalness of forms, movements and orientation of the rotation axes and hand postures. The thorough study of the anthropometry of the real hand has guided the prosthetic hand design, from the aesthetics to the mechanical and structural features, allowing the user to perceive the prothesis not like an external instrument but rather as an integral part of the body. The aesthetic research for this project was based on the observation of the human body, of its gestures and its proportions, including a specific study of visual arts and sculpture history. Also the proportions of mannequins of the major fashion brands were studied to have a reference of the current beauty canons. An iterative design process has allowed to integrate the mechanical, electrical and electronic parts inside the forms and proportions of the hand, ensuring an optimal appearance for both sizes.
The differential mechanism at the base of the DAG system (Dynamic Adaptive Grasp), gives the prosthetic hand Hannes the peculiar ability of adapting itself to the object’s form and to any kind of external stresses.
Even the control system is absolutely innovative and implements traditional and new strategies based on artificial intelligence algorithms, which allow the user to control the movements of the prothesis just thinking of the movement they would do with their own limb. The customization of the functional parameters comes through a specifically designed software which is interfaced with the prosthetic hand through a bluetooth connection. Hannes is made in two sizes (7 3⁄4 and 8 1⁄4), left or right and is equipped with different cosmetic solutions, like male and female cosmetic gloves.