Engineering Review, Vol. 46 No. 4, 2026.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.30765/er.3356
An integrated MEREC-MAIRCA-MARCOS MCDM approach for material selection in robotic prosthetic palm design
Ipsita Dhar
orcid.org/0000-0002-8551-7353
; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha, India; Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
*
Bibhuti Bhusan Choudhury
; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha, India; Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
Bidyadhar Sahoo
; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha, India; Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
Sushil Kumar Sahoo
orcid.org/0000-0002-8551-7353
; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha, India; Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
Dragan Marinković
; Department of Structural Analysis, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Mechanical Science, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania; University College, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Supriya Sahu
; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha, India; Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Materials are a critical factor in the functional, durability, and efficiency of robotic prostheses. In this study, an integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach is presented which integrates the three methods MEREC, MAIRCA and MARCOS for the identification of the most suitable material for the design of a robotic prosthetic palm. Twelve materials were considered and nine important criteria were evaluated based on mechanical properties, cost, deformation behavior, etc. MEREC was used to objectively calculate the criterion weights and the most influential factors were Price, Strength to Density Ratio and Tensile Yield Strength. The material ranking was then performed with the MAIRCA and MARCOS methods, after which the results were combined based on the Copeland voting principle. Low alloy steel proved to be the most suitable material because its properties were good in all aspects. The model was found to be robust by performing sensitivity analysis by rank reversal. The proposed method provides a robust and reliable decision-making tool based on data that will aid in selecting materials for prosthetic applications, ultimately leading to the creation of more efficient and user-friendly prosthetic devices.
Keywords
robotic prosthetic palm design; material selection; MCDM; MEREC; MAIRCA; MARCOS
Hrčak ID:
350929
URI
Publication date:
8.9.2026.
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