Project Description

Inspired by the twelve fingered pianist from the movie Gattaca, this page contains an ongoing project of mine to add extra appendages to humans. I’ve started with an extra thumb. The idea is to control it with the EEG signals using the Backyard Brains Kit which would truly make it an extra body part controlled by the brain.

This post is in reverse chronological order.

Update 2

In these videos, you can see how the motor is stitched directly to the glove. I printed a TPU base to mount the motor first, then stitched this flexible base onto the glove. This was not the best decision, as the stitching required quite an effort.

The motor pulls a wire attached to the prosthetic finger, causing the finger to bend. However, the joint is too stiff, which limits movement. I plan to revise the design to use rolling contact joints for improved mobility.

Update 1

This is a work in progress. I’ve stitched a prosthetic finger onto a glove and am now exploring ways to actuate and control it. The finger is 3D-printed. The rigid sections are PLA, and the joint is made from flexible TPU.

References:

• Third Thumb: Here, the thumb is being controlled with sensors in the feet.
• Nature article on Robotic Body Augmentation