3D printed fake hands cost 15 USD

With a 3D printer and about $ 15, Ryan Bouricious, a senior year in physics, Ithaca University, New York, created a fake hand that could be used to hold, write and even catch balls.

This fake hand is designed for people who still have the ability to move their wrists. By moving their wrists, they can control and use the fingers of the prosthetic hand to hold and hold many different objects.

Bouricius, as an assistant tutor of the 3D printing laboratory of Ithaca University, began to be interested in creating prosthetic parts of his body after a video of the printing and assembly of tables. Fake hands with low cost. After finding free designs on the web, he printed each piece and assembled it into a complete hand in a day.

Ryan Bouricius uses university 3D printers to create fake hands.

Through testing and improvement, Bouricious has made changes to the original design, making it more functional. For example, he changed the direction of the thumb which was originally perpendicular to the rest of the fingers, so that it could hold more objects, from markers to coffee cups. Physics professor Michael 'Bodhi' Rogers, the manager of 3D printing lab and monitoring the process of Boricius perfecting prosthetic hands, said 3D printed prosthetic hands had many advantages compared to electronic counterfeit tables.

"There are many people who are working on making electronic hands, but they are extremely expensive, not easy to fix, and many are not sold , " Rogers said. And Bouricius said: "The interesting thing about 3D printing is that the price depends only on the amount of plastic used, not depending on the complexity of the components. changing to more complex shapes, but because it uses the same amount of plastic, its price remains unchanged. "

This is especially important for families whose children use prosthetics. Because children grow very fast, the cost of prosthetics over time is also increasing significantly. However, with 3D printing technology, Bouricius model can be reprinted in larger sizes at a very reasonable cost.

Bouricius is partnering with eNABLE, a non-profit organization that seeks people who need to use fake 3D body parts. The organization only introduced people in need of Bouricius, the rest he would do, according to Bouricius.

But recently, he started collaborating with teachers with expertise and experience in prosthetics. When eNABLE finds a person who wants to receive a prosthetic hand, he or she will assist him to make the final fix so that the prosthetic device fits perfectly and makes the user feel most comfortable for a long time.