Teaching Professor
Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology

Innovation Project Title: From Body-Powered to Myoelectric - Modifying the Phoenix Hand with Adaptable Electronics

The Iowa State University Bionics Laboratory course, BIOL 2570X, was created in 2021 with support from a CALS Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellowship. This transdisciplinary, repeatable, for-credit research course is focused on bio-signal-driven prosthetics design. The course has been offered for six semesters serving students from diverse majors, such as Biomedical, Mechanical, Electrical, Software, and Industrial Engineering (College of Engineering), as well as Biology and Kinesiology (CALS and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS)), and Biological and Pre-Medical Illustration (College of Design). 

The project is integrated with the ISU Honors Program as a freshman research experience and has been an Honors Thesis topic. Given that the course is repeatable for credit, students often return for consecutive semesters, with the majority “graduating out” of the laboratory. Under the direction of Dr. Haen Whitmer the project has also included the participation of ~20 high school students through outreach programs, primarily during summer months. Bionics Laboratory teaches students the foundational skills required for prosthetics prototyping, including additive manufacturing (AM), circuits, sensors, actuators, fundamental human anatomy, acquisition and analysis of physiological data (EMG, EEG, EOG, etc.), and basic coding for bio-signal filtering and system controls. 

In the first three years, students built several 3D-printed hand prototypes (Year 1), created a fully functional myoelectric (electromyography, muscle controlled) prosthetic hand (Year 2), and worked on development of an EEG (electroencephalography, brain wave controlled) system to improve dexterity of the original EMG system. Students built and drove a rover device using brain waves as a proof-of-concept for the more complex EEG-based bionic hand control system (Year 3). Using machine learning, at the start of Year 4 the robotic hand could gesture in response to thought commands, and the robotic arm gained function as a novel mind controlled device.

During the summer of 2024, Dr. Haen Whitmer worked with the ISU Biomedical Engineering program to develop plans for expanding arm capability to remote dexterous implementation for spacecraft. This project has been funded by the Iowa Space Grant Consortium working with the ISU Cardinal Space Mining Team to develop maintenance and reconnaissance capabilities. 

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