Low-cost, 3D printable prosthetic hand

The hand is similar to the human hand and is purely mechanical and has no electronic parts

Eric Ronning, Mechanical engineering sophomore at University of Wisconsin-Madison won top prize at UW-Madison’s annual Innovation Days in February last year. His invention, a 3D printable prosthetic hand for amputees in developing countries won $10,000 prize in the Schools Prize for Creativity, one of a pair of competitions that make up Innovation Days. He also won second place for best prototype, the Tong Prototype Award, which came with $1,250.

This invention, named the Manu Print, has a unique design that allows users to close and open each finger individually by applying only one tensile force. The hand is similar to the human hand and is purely mechanical and has no electronic parts. The Manu Print is also a low-cost prosthetic hand, Ronning spent only 20$ of material, while other prosthetic hands on the market costs about $600. This low-cost, simple design may give amputees more control over their movements to pick up items or even catch objects.

Ronning said that his idea of 3D printing the prosthetic hand was fueled by an engineering class he took in high school, where he learned 3D modeling and computer-assisted design. Ronning fabricated the hand on a FDM 3D printer. His first prototypes kept on failing until he made his fourth prototype.

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via 3ders.org