Using 3D printing technology, two men from opposite sides from the globe have created a prosthetic hand for people without fingers.
The idea started in South Africa, when carpenter Rich Van As lost the use of four fingers on his right hand after a work-related accident. As soon as he left the hospital, he began researching prosthetics, but found that the thousands of dollars they cost left him with few options. Instead, he teamed up with American puppeteer Ivan Owen and together they created a mechanical finger for Van As.
Upon returning to the States, Owen emailed MakerBot, a 3D printing company, who promptly sent them each a Replicator 2 3D printer. The printer “dramatically increased the speed at which we could prototype and try out ideas” and allowed them to print and test new designs in just 20 minutes, compared to the week or more it took them without the printer, says Van As in De Zeen Magazine.
They’ve since developed an entire hand for children with a condition called amniotic band syndrome, which causes babies to be born with missing or shortened fingers. The hand (dubbed ‘Robohand’) is driven by the motion of the wrist, rather than electronics, so it’s relatively simple to make. The wrist, knuckle and digit hinges are all printed by MakerBot and are connected with cables and steel bolts.
The printer has enabled Van As and Owen to make better hands in a shorter timeframe. The pair made a makeshift prosthetic for Liam Dippenaar, a five-year-old boy born without fingers on his right hand. Liam’s primitive hand has since been replaced with a Robohand, which he’s able to use to grab and pick up small objects. Van As has also fitted over 100 other children with Robohands – something he does for free.
Owen and Van As posted the design and instructions for Robohand on the MakerBot Thingiverse, a website for printer designs that are free to access. The hand costs about $150 to make. A new version of Robohand is now available – it’s less durable, but more easily constructed and it costs only $5 to print.
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