Week 18 - Invention, Intellectual Property and Income

Assignment Overview

This week focuses on how to share, license, and plan the future of my final project. I created a clear dissemination plan, carefully selected appropriate licenses, explored income models, and prepared a summary slide and short video to present my project.

Dissemination Plan

The bionic hand project aims to assist individuals with upper limb disabilities, especially in low-resource settings. My dissemination plan ensures the project is accessible, replicable, and encourages collaboration.

Platforms for Sharing

• Fab Academy documentation site - Complete open documentation with design files, code, and testing.
• Local dissemination - I aim to showcase the project in innovation/stem events, disability support centers

Licensing Strategy

To support knowledge sharing while protecting authorship, I chose an open licensing model.

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

All documentation, CAD files, 3D models, videos, and images are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This means:

• Anyone can use or remix the project
• As long as they provide credit and use the same license for derivatives

The CC license link is included in my website footer.

Slide and Video Summary

Slide

Draft Video

Future Plans

The current version of the bionic hand uses flexible resistors for finger movement control. While the main goal was to use EMG sensors, the current setup is functional, and there is strong potential for improvement in both control systems and design realism.

In the future, I plan to expand the project to include a full bionic arm, which would require additional microcontrollers, actuators, and a more complex control system.

Short Term Goals

Sensor refinement: Improve calibration of flexible resistors and optimize motion accuracy.
EMG integration: Although the first EMG sensors had low sensitivity, I plan to reintegrate EMG-based control using upgraded modules or amplification techniques. The aim is to allow muscle-activated control for a more intuitive experience.
Redesign of hand and fingers:

• I will redesign the mechanical structure to mimic the anatomy of a natural human hand more closely — focusing on proportions, joint structure, and surface contours.
• This includes exploring more ergonomic finger joints, realistic phalanges, and possibly skin-like outer coverings for better aesthetics and user comfort.

Long Term Goals

Partnerships with Prosthetics Organizations

I plan to collaborate with prosthetics specialists and rehabilitation organizations to:

• Improve fit, comfort, and biomedical safety
• Conduct clinical testing and user trials
• Co-develop a certified, usable final product for individuals with upper limb differences

Reflection

This week pushed me to think beyond the technical achievement of building the bionic hand. By formalizing how I share and protect my work, how others can reuse it, and how it can grow in the future — I've laid the groundwork for real-world impact.
I hope this project contributes meaningfully to the assistive tech ecosystem, especially in contexts like Rwanda where access to such tools is limited.