Upper limb prostheses for amputations above elbow: A review

In this article, it will be described the state of the art of upper limb prosthesis and several types of them. The prosthesis evolution had allowed people who lost an extremity to win back their normal life and live it with fewer limitations. Designing a myoelectric prosthetic arm that interacts with the amputee requires the integration of countless disciplines. Traditional commercial prosthesis has at least three degrees of freedom: open and close the hook, bend and straighten the elbow and rotate the wrist; but the human arm has 22 degrees of freedom. Thus, it is important to realize that the prosthetics have a long way to go. Furthermore, the higher the amputation level, the greater the demands on the fitting technique. Each prosthesis has different characteristics, advantages and drawbacks. Finally, four different kind of prosthesis will be presented: the Boston Elbow, the Utah Arm, the Kuiken´s Prosthesis within DARPA´s Project and the prosthesis under development in our laboratory.