What Comes Inside the Aether Battery System Box

What Comes Inside the Aether Battery System Box?

In bionic prosthetics, the battery rarely gets much attention. It sits out of sight inside the socket and just does its job. But the box it arrives in holds a lot more than one battery.

Aether Biomedical packs the Aether Battery System with power components, charging gear, a small set of workshop tools, and two product documents. Some items become part of everyday life after fitting. Others exist only to help the clinician build the system into the socket.

Knowing which is which makes the whole box easier to understand. It also helps you ask sharper questions during fitting.

What is the Aether Battery System box designed to provide?

The Aether Battery System supplies electrical power to an upper-limb prosthesis. Its Instructions for Use state that it is intended for use exclusively with Zeus hands. Each Zeus hand is a robotic hand developed by Aether Biomedical.

The box covers four jobs: storing power, charging it, preparing the socket for the parts, and explaining how everything works. That third job may come as a surprise.

Several components don't live in a bag or on a shelf. They are built into the prosthetic socket, the custom-shaped part of the prosthesis that fits the arm. A qualified clinician makes that socket and fits the system into it.

So the box is part power kit and part fabrication kit.

What exactly comes inside the Aether Battery System box?

The official Instructions for Use list 11 items. Here they are in order, with a plain note on each.

The Instructions for Use doesn't give a quantity for each item, so this list doesn't either. Use it as a checklist of what should be there, not a count. The sections below follow the same order.

What is the AET-BAT battery pack?

The AET-BAT battery pack is the energy store for the whole system. Once everything is connected, it is what powers the Zeus hand.

It isn't one solid block. The battery pack is made of two cells joined by a cable. Two cells don't mean two batteries: together, they make up one battery pack.

The pack also has its own electronic circuit. That circuit measures the battery's capacity and passes the charge level to the charging port. It also keeps the cells' current, voltage, and temperature within their safe operating range.

A clinician fixes the pack to the inner surface of the socket. It is placed so that it doesn't touch the user's skin.

The Instructions for Use give the size and weight of the three core components:

Which part provides the charging connection?

The AET-CHR battery charging port is the part you'll interact with every day.

Qualified personnel mounts it into the prosthetic socket. Once it's in place, it gives the system a USB-C connection for charging the battery pack.

The port also has one button and four LEDs. Press the button, and the LEDs light up to show the current charge level. The more LEDs that light, the more charge is left. It works a lot like a fuel gauge built into the socket.

The same button is used to turn the system on and off. The full sequence is in the Instructions for Use, and your clinician can walk you through it at fitting.

Why is the AET-CON connector board included?

If the battery pack is the fuel tank and the charging port is the gauge, the AET-CON connector board is the junction box that ties them together.

It connects the battery pack and the charging port. It also provides the power output to the terminal device. "Terminal device" is the clinical term for the part at the end of the prosthesis that does the work. With this system, that is a Zeus hand.

The output uses a 2-pin kidney-style connector.

You won't handle the connector board in daily life. It is an internal part of the system, not an accessory. Qualified personnel connect and install it, and no one else should reconnect or modify it.

Which charging accessories are supplied?

Two items handle charging from the wall. They are separate pieces.

The first is the AET-USBC cable. It is 1 meter long, with a USB-A connector on one end and a USB-C connector on the other. The USB-C end goes into the charging port.

The second is the AC/DC power supply. This is the wall unit that converts household power into charging power. It comes with an adapter for the country where it will be used. The documented options are:

• AET-PWR-USB-EU for Europe
• AET-PWR-USB-US for the United States

For normal charging, the Instructions for Use call for this manufacturer-provided power supply and USB cable. No power bank comes in the box.

If the cable or power supply is ever damaged, don't replace it with another one. Contact your clinician or Aether Biomedical.

One detail is worth knowing before fitting day. The Instructions for Use says charging should take place while the prosthesis and socket are disconnected from the patient. The system also doesn't supply power to the prosthesis while it charges.

What are the AET-DUM fabrication dummies used for?

This is where the box starts to look like a workshop kit.

The AET-DUM fabrication dummies come in two versions: one with a lip and one without. Qualified personnel use them while creating the opening for the charging port in the prosthetic socket.

They are fabrication tools, not operating components. A dummy doesn't store power, charge anything, or connect to the hand. Its whole job is helping make a suitable opening for the real charging port.

What other items are included?

Two more items support the same fabrication work, and both are for qualified personnel.

• AET-CUT cutting guides with adhesives: guides that help with the socket fabrication process.
• AET-DRL 5 mm drill: a drill supplied to help with socket fabrication.

Because these come with the system, the clinician receives the fabrication aids together with the parts they are meant for. How each one is used belongs in the Instructions for Use and in the hands of the person building the socket. This article sticks to what each item is for.

The box also includes AET-COV covers for the charging port.

Which documents come with the Aether Battery System?

Two documents come in the box. They are easy to throw away with the packaging, so set them aside.

U03DC-0100 is the Aether Battery System Instructions for Use. It covers installation, operation, charging, maintenance, cleaning, storage, and safety.

U03DC-0200 is the Aether Battery System Compatibility Guide. It sits alongside the Instructions for Use, which state that the system is intended for use exclusively with Zeus hands.

Keep both documents. If you are unsure whether you have the current version, ask your clinician or check the Instructions for Use on Aether Biomedical's official downloads page.

Who uses the different components in the box?

After fitting, three things are part of daily life: the USB cable, the AC/DC power supply, and the button and LEDs on the charging port. The fabrication tools and the internal components are for the clinician, including the battery pack and charging port during installation, since both are built into the socket.

Fitting note: The Instructions for Use state that the Aether Battery System may be fitted by qualified personnel only. It also says not to try to repair cables, battery cells, connectors, or any other component. If something inside the socket seems loose, damaged, or disconnected, leave it and contact your clinician.

Are the prosthetic hand and socket included in the box?

No.

A prosthetic hand isn't listed in the Aether Battery System package contents. The system powers the Zeus hand, a prosthetic bionic hand in its own right.

A prosthetic socket isn't in the box either. Each socket is made for one person by their clinician.

What the box does contain are the components and tools that support building the power system into that socket and connecting it to a Zeus hand. It is a power system with fabrication support, not a complete prosthetic hand.

Frequently asked questions

What comes inside the Aether Battery System box?

Eleven listed items: the battery pack, charging port, connector board, USB cable, AC/DC power supply, fabrication dummies, charging-port covers, cutting guides, a 5 mm drill, the Instructions for Use, and the Compatibility Guide.

Is the AET-BAT battery pack included in the box?

Yes. It is the first item on the official list, and a clinician installs it inside the socket.

Does the box include a USB charging cable?

Yes. The AET-USBC cable is 1 meter long, with a USB-A connector and a USB-C connector.

Is an AC/DC power supply included?

Yes. It comes with an adapter for the country of use: AET-PWR-USB-EU for Europe or AET-PWR-USB-US for the United States.

Why does the box contain socket-fabrication tools?

The charging port and battery pack are built into the prosthetic socket. The dummies, cutting guides, and drill help qualified personnel prepare the socket for them.

What does the AET-CON connector board do?

It connects the battery pack to the charging port and sends power to the Zeus hand through a 2-pin kidney-style output connector.

Are the prosthetic hand and socket included?

No. The Zeus hand is a separate product, and the socket is made and provided by your clinician.

Who should install the Aether Battery System components?

Qualified personnel only. That includes connecting or reconnecting anything inside the socket.

Does the box include the Instructions for Use?

Yes. U03DC-0100 is included, along with the U03DC-0200 Aether Battery System Compatibility Guide.

What if the charging cable or power supply is damaged?

Contact your clinician or Aether Biomedical. Don't replace it with another cable or adapter.

In short

The Aether Battery System box holds 11 listed items: five power and charging components, three socket-fabrication tools, charging-port covers, and two product documents.

Your clinician builds the system into your socket. After fitting, you charge with the supplied cable and power supply while the prosthesis and socket are disconnected from you, and read the charge level on the four LEDs. The Zeus hand and the socket aren't in the box.

If you have questions about the Aether Battery System or its package contents, speak with your clinician or contact Aether Biomedical product support. Together, they can make sure your system is complete, correctly fitted, and ready for everyday use.