Table Tennis Prosthetic Hand Controlled Based on Distance Measurement Using a ToF Sensor

Table tennis is a popular sport for forearm amputees. However, forearm amputees with limited pronation and supination movements cannot switch the racket angle properly for forehand and backhand drives. This paper reports a table tennis prosthetic hand controlled based on distance measurement using a ToF Sensor. The developed hand can switch the racket angle between forehand drive and backhand drive based on the distance between the wrist and the trunk or upper arm measured by the ToF sensor attached to an electric wrist. The participant with forearm amputation could play table tennis with the developed hand in the test play. The racket angle was switched to the appropriate angle for the forehand drive and the backhand drive, and the participant could return a ball 6.3 times in 10 seconds. The satisfaction of the participant with the prosthetic hand was good.