While a universal prosthetic design may seem ideal, such an approach is counter-productive, as each patient has unique needs and requirements. Researchers worldwide agree that the primary goal of prosthetic hand development is to create devices capable of performing activities of daily living (ADL) [7]. ADLs involve complex kinematic operations that often require coordinated bimanual actions [8], which most current prosthetic hands fail to address fully. Most prosthetic devices available today primarily offer basic grasping and manipulation functions. Since residual electromyography (EMG) signals control most hands, the design complexity is often limited, resulting in prosthetic hands with restricted dexterity and functionality [9]. Therefore, a more targeted and patient-specific approach is essential to improve prosthetic hands, mainly when the goal is to perform the full range of ADLs. Considerable advancements have been made in recent years to create affordable, functional, and relatively simple prosthetic hands [7]. However, current prosthetic hands still suffer from several significant drawbacks, including (a) insufficient dexterity for fine manipulation, (b) a limited number of joints and degrees of freedom, resulting in restricted movement, and (c) increased design complexity when attempting to integrate the necessary sensors and control systems [10]. The human hand achieves its remarkable dexterity, despite being a kinematically redundant system, due to several key factors: (i) the abundance of musculature in the forearm and palm, (ii) the large number of neurons controlling the hand muscles, (iii) the direct cortical projections onto the motor neurons, and (iv) the intricate network of sensory receptors located on the hand's surface. These features enable seamless and sophisticated control, allowing the human hand to perform exact movements and adapt quickly to different tasks [11]. In the present study, a mechanical design approach has been utilized to reduce the complexity inherent in the design of prosthetic hands. The primary contributions of this work are as follows:  
1. The two-DoF metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint has been selected for analysis to simplify the prosthetic hand design. A novel palmar configuration has been developed since a two-DoF joint introduces significant complexity in both kinematics and control. The design incorporates a one-DoF MCP joint, allowing only flexion/extension (F/E) motion. The simplified configuration is achieved through the application of performance indices. 2. A novel design approach for finger placement based on anatomical and physiological considerations is also proposed, focusing on optimizing size considerations. 3. A minimalistic motion transmission mechanism that provides a differential input to the finger for anthropomorphic motion is developed. The novel mechanism aims to allow the fingers to grasp objects of various shapes and sizes with sufficient dexterity and stability. Integrating these contributions results in a prosthetic hand with a simplified design while retaining the ability to grasp various objects. By reducing structural complexity, the need for a less intricate control system is automatically achieved by reducing the number of required control signals. This reduces the resulting prosthetic hand's cost, weight, and size. The novel design paradigm presented in this paper represents a notable advancement toward developing functional and dexterous prosthetic hands.