Fillauer MC Standard ETD

Published , Updated , by Wayne Williams in Category: Bionic Arm / Hand, Mobility
MC Standard ETD Feature Image

Fillauer’s MC Standard ETD is another Electric Terminal Device that can fulfill either a primary or secondary role as an upper-limb prosthesis.

What’s On This Page?

A Quick Look at the MC Standard ETD

The following video shows the MC Standard ETD at work. Note, there are brief sections from 0:45 to 1:10 and from 1:56 onward that show Ossur’s i-Limb, but the rest focuses on the ETD:

As you can see from the video, this is a surprisingly versatile and dexterous device. It can open wide to grasp large objects yet has the precision and visibility to work with small objects. Additionally, it is:

  • rugged and durable;
  • water resistant (it can be submerged up to the wrist component);
  • powerful, with a grip force of up to 107 Newtons; and
  • lightweight, coming in at only 425 grams for the standard-length setup.

What can’t it do? It is not ideal for working with computers or other electronic gadgets, or for social tasks like shaking hands.

MC Standard ETD Key Features

Grip Patterns & Control System

The MC Standard ETD has only one grip pattern — to open and close one of its hooks (the other hook remains stationary). As such, you might expect it to have a simple control system. But, as with all myoelectric devices, there are several configuration settings that can significantly impact the device’s performance.

The MC Standard ETD does not have its own control system to manage these settings. It must be paired with Motion Control’s ProControl 2 system for below-the-elbow solutions, or with a Motion Control elbow for above-the-elbow solutions, in which case the elbow provides the control system.

Because of this, there is not a lot to say about the control system itself. Instead, we want to show you the variety of tasks that the MC Standard ETD can perform when it is paired with a good control system:

Note, in particular, how easily the user controls the device. This is a direct result of the quality of the control system — in this case, provided by the Utah Arm.

Proportional Speed Control

The MC Standard ETD is capable of supporting proportional speed control but requires a control system to implement it.

Sensory Feedback

The MC Standard ETD does not provide any sensory feedback to the end-user.

Wrist Design

The MC Standard ETD offers multiple wrist options, including:

  • a laminate ring for wrist disarticulation;
  • an industry-standard quick-disconnect wrist;
  • a flexion wrist with flexion/extension and four locking positions at 52, 26, 0, and -30 degrees;
  • a multi-flex wrist that flexes in all directions with locking positions at 30, 0, and -30 degrees of flexion/extension;
  • an in-hand wrist rotator; and
  • a powered flexion wrist with 153 degrees of powered flexion and two passive resistance settings;

This is the most comprehensive set of wrist options that we’ve seen offered by any ETD manufacturer.

The following video provides a good explanation of the value of some of these options:

Lift Capacity & Grip Strength

The MC Standard ETD can lift up to 22 kilograms in all directions.

It has a grip strength of 107 Newtons, which is quite high and is comparable to Ottobock’s AxonHook.

Having said that, grip force tends to be measured in different ways by different companies, so comparisons between the grip strengths of competing devices may not be reliable.

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Durability

With only one movable hook and a simple, rugged design, the MC Standard ETD should be more durable than all multi-articulating bionic hands.

Also, the hooks are available in titanium for added strength (the standard hooks are made of aluminum).

However, we rely mostly on the results of our User Satisfaction Survey for an objective assessment of durability. And because this article and the associated survey are new, it will likely be a few months before we have sufficient participants to publish results.

Water and Dust Resistance

The MC Standard ETD has an IPX7 rating, meaning it is water resistant up to but not including its wrist.

The “X” in that rating means that the device has not been certified for dust. There is also no mention of dust or dirt in either the User Guide or the Prosthetist Guide.

We will ask Fillauer about this and update this section when we receive a reply.

Glove Options

There are no glove options for the MC Standard ETD.

Batteries

There is no mention of batteries in any of Fillauer’s documentation for the MC Standard ETD. We suspect that this is because the prosthetist is expected to integrate a battery into the socket to power the device. Alternatively, where a Motion Control elbow is used, the battery power is supplied by the elbow unit.

User Software

Fillauer has a very capable user software application for its ETDs that can be used by both prosthetists and end-users. Unfortunately, it is not available for the MC Standard ETD. It is only available for the MC ProPlus ETD, the ProPlus MC ETD2, and the MC ProPlus Hand.

Suitability for Above-the-Elbow Solutions

The MC Standard ETD can participate in above-the-elbow bionic solutions as long as it is paired with a Motion Control elbow.

Price

We do not currently have good pricing information on the MC Standard ETD. If you have this information, please share it with us through our contact form.

For a complete list of prices for upper-limb ETDs, please see our ETD price list.

Warranty

The MC Standard ETD offers a 1-year standard warranty against defects in materials or workmanship under normal use.

Note that this is lower than the 2-year warranty offered by Ottobock for its ETD devices.

User Feedback Survey & Results

Survey

Are you currently using an MC Standard ETD or have you used it in the past?

If so, why not help others by sharing your experiences in this quick survey:

Results

We do not yet have a sufficient number of survey participants to publish fair and accurate results for the MC Standard ETD.

As soon as we do, we’ll update this section.

Considerations Before Buying an MC Standard ETD

In general, we are deeply impressed with Fillauer’s upper-limb ETD options. One immediate consideration for prospective end-users is which ETD to choose. If an end-user is after a device that looks like a hand, then Fillauer’s options are its Motion Control MC Hand and its MC ProPlus Hand, which should both be compared to Ottobock’s SensorHand Speed and VariPlus Speed devices.

If an end-user wants an electric hook, then Fillauer’s ProPlus MC ETD2 or Ottobock’s AxonHook should be their first options, as these two devices represent the latest electric hooks from these two leading prosthetics companies. To be perfectly honest, we don’t know if Fillauer is continuing to actively market its earlier-generation electric hooks (this one, i.e. the MC Standard ETD, and the MC ProPlus ETD). We cover them because they remain in Fillauer’s online catalog. We will ask Fillauer this question and update this section when we receive a reply.

Beyond these statements, we are reserving judgment on the MC Standard ETD until we hear back from end-users through our User Satisfaction Survey.

For a list of competitor devices, see all upper-limb ETDs.

For a comprehensive description of all current upper-limb technologies, devices, and research, see our complete guide.

Click here for more information on Fillauer’s Upper-Limb Myoelectric Devices.