Project Overview

Course Number: BME 200/300



Project Name: e-NABLE: Improve thumb design on e-NABLE prosthetics



Short Name: Thumb Magicians



Project description/problem statement:



Prosthetics are used to increase the quality of life for a person who has either lost or was born without a limb. Their goal is to replace the function and lifestyle of the patient. Although Prosthetics increase overall functionality they do not restore full performance of a complete limb. The goal of this product is to improve the current e-NABLE thumb design. Currently, the prosthetic thumb is at an awkward resting position which can only participate in a power grip. To improve the thumb design, adding an abduction movement would be beneficial and preferred to assist in creating the spherical and cylindrical grip, which are usefully for everyday activities. Abduction allows a stronger grip which could improve the overall functionality of the prosthetic and satisfaction for the patient.


About the client: Ken Bice has been working for the Enable community for several years now. He has helped many people with hand prosthetics as well as constructed special hand prosthetics for serval patients. He continues to help design and construct new hand prosthetics for the enable community. The e-NABLE community is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the quality of life in poor communities facing various health problems. In our case the e-NABLE community is working to create a better functioning thumb for their Raptor Reloaded prosthetic design, while keeping the fabrication difficulty and cost at an all time low.

Team Picture

Contact Information

Team Members

• Tarika Patel - Team Leader
• Courtney Lynch - Communicator
• Will Wightman - BSAC
• Jenna Warden - Co-BWIG
• Laura Richmond - Co-BWIG
• Dylan Schuller - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Dr. Aaron Suminski - Advisor
• Ken Bice - Client