Editing Prosthesis (section)

====Terminal devices====
Terminal devices contain a range of hooks, prehensors, hands or other devices.

=====Hooks=====
Voluntary opening split hook systems are simple, convenient, light, robust, versatile and relatively affordable.

A hook does not match a normal human hand for appearance or overall versatility, but its material tolerances can exceed and surpass the normal human hand for mechanical stress (one can even use a hook to slice open boxes or as a hammer whereas the same is not possible with a normal hand), for thermal stability (one can use a hook to grip items from boiling water, to turn meat on a grill, to hold a match until it has burned down completely) and for chemical hazards (as a metal hook withstands acids or lye, and does not react to solvents like a prosthetic glove or human skin).

=====Hands=====
[[File:Myoelectric prosthetic arm.jpg|right|thumb|Actor [[Owen Wilson]] gripping the myoelectric prosthetic arm of a United States Marine]]

Prosthetic hands are available in both voluntary opening and voluntary closing versions and because of their more complex mechanics and cosmetic glove covering require a relatively large activation force, which, depending on the type of harness used, may be uncomfortable.<ref>{{Cite journal
  |vauthors=Smit G, Plettenburg DH | title = Efficiency of Voluntary Closing Hand and Hook Prostheses
  | journal = Prosthetics and Orthotics International
  | volume = 34
  | issue = 4
  | pages = 411–427
  | year = 2010
  | doi = 10.3109/03093646.2010.486390
  | pmid = 20849359| s2cid = 22327910
 | url = http://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid%3A8c18e55f-842a-4a74-9b62-4b7fd23d9756/datastream/OBJ/view
  }}</ref> A recent study by the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, showed that the development of mechanical prosthetic hands has been neglected during the past decades. The study showed that the pinch force level of most current mechanical hands is too low for practical use.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Smit|first1=G|last2=Bongers|first2=RM|last3=Van der Sluis|first3=CK|last4=Plettenburg|first4=DH|title=Efficiency of voluntary opening hand and hook prosthetic devices: 24 years of development?|journal=Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development|date=2012|volume=49|issue=4|pages=523–534|doi=10.1682/JRRD.2011.07.0125|pmid=22773256}}</ref> The best tested hand was a prosthetic hand developed around 1945. In 2017 however, a research has been started with bionic hands by [[Laura Hruby]] of the [[Medical University of Vienna]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Robitzski |first1=Dan|orig-date=First published 18 April 2017 as "A Spare Hand" |title= Disabled Hands Successfully Replaced with Bionic Prosthetics|magazine=Scientific American |date=May 2017 |volume=316 |issue=5 |page=17 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0517-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hruby |first1=Laura A. |last2=Sturma |first2=Agnes |last3=Mayer |first3=Johannes A. |last4=Pittermann |first4=Anna |last5=Salminger |first5=Stefan |last6=Aszmann |first6=Oskar C. |title=Algorithm for bionic hand reconstruction in patients with global brachial plexopathies |journal=Journal of Neurosurgery |date=November 2017 |volume=127 |issue=5 |pages=1163–1171 |doi=10.3171/2016.6.JNS16154|pmid=28093018 |s2cid=28143731 }}</ref> A few open-hardware 3-D printable bionic hands have also become available.<ref>[https://bionico.org/mains-low-cost/ 3D bionic hands]</ref> Some companies are also producing robotic hands with integrated forearm, for fitting unto a patient's upper arm<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/16/uk-woman-ride-bike-first-time-worlds-most-lifelike-bionic-hand UK woman can ride bike for first time with 'world's most lifelike bionic hand' ]</ref><ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/revolutionary-1m-bionic-hand-allows-5895366 Bebionic robotic hand]</ref> and in 2020, at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), another robotic hand with integrated forearm (Soft Hand Pro) was developed.<ref>[https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/02/a-helping-hand-eu-researchers-develop-bionic-hand-that-imitates-life A helping hand: EU researchers develop bionic hand that imitates life]</ref>