{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T08:14:04Z","timestamp":1770711244488,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]],"date-time":"2026-02-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770595200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Horizon Europe (HE) RIA programme","award":["N\u00b0 101112347"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\u00b0 101112347"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioengineering"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Prosthetic hands have seen significant improvements in recent years, enabling increasingly more natural interactions between patients with upper limb loss and their environment. Nonetheless, progress is continuously being made to enhance user acceptance, which remains a major drawback in such systems. The efficiency of the actuation mechanism is a critical parameter when designing these devices. Maximising actuation approach efficiency enables the use of smaller and lighter motors, thus decreasing the overall weight of the solution. Simultaneously, increased efficiency contributes to more precise motor control. Within this context, the present work introduces a novel actuation concept. Conventional tendon\u2013pulley mechanisms are often susceptible to tendon slippage; therefore, a hobbed tendon\u2013pulley approach was investigated to maintain cable tension more consistently and efficiently. This approach aims to provide smoother operation, improved reliability, and a reduced risk of mechanical failure due to tendon slippage. Simultaneously, the capability of holding and maintaining a set force is of utmost importance in these systems, and the force-feedback system is usually a major concern. The present work also focuses on comparing current and pressure-based control methodologies for the developed prosthesis. The current-based approach had the significant advantage of not requiring external sensors to be assembled on the prosthesis and not relying on the point of application of force being inside the sensor\u2019s active area. During these tests, the prosthesis successfully grasped various objects of different sizes, shapes, stiffnesses, and weights using a current-based approach, without observable tendon slippage.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering13020197","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]],"date-time":"2026-02-09T12:42:42Z","timestamp":1770640962000},"page":"197","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Development and Preliminary Assessment of a Tendon-Driven Thumb\u2013Index Prosthesis with a Novel Hobbed-Pulley Actuation Mechanism"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0422-3152","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patr\u00edcia","family":"Gomes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4520-3891","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro J. S. C. P.","family":"Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-0964-3838","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Nunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4212-6691","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephanos P.","family":"Zaoutsos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Energy Systems, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8631-6529","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Susana","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6592-3063","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paulo J.","family":"Tavares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1127-2525","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro M. G. J.","family":"Moreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancia e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Engenharia Mec\u00e2nica e Engenharia Industrial (INEGI), Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1517","DOI":"10.1682\/JRRD.2011.12.0243","article-title":"Hand-opening feedback for myoelectric forearm prostheses: Performance in virtual grasping tasks influenced by different levels of distraction","volume":"49","author":"Witteveen","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Rehabil. Res. Dev."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ubosi, D. (2023). Robotic prosthetic hands\u2014A review. 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