A 3D printed robotic hand that costs just £1,000 to produce has won the 2015 James Dyson Award in the UK.
Open Bionics, a prototype project developed by 25-year-old robotics graduate Joel Gibbard, can be produced in 40 hours and could go on sale as soon as next year.
As winner of the 2015 James Dyson Award Gibbard will receive £2,000, which he will use to speed up his prototyping process.
Current advanced prosthetics can cost from £3,000 to £60,000 and only last three to five years, but Gibbard's model is entirely 3D-printed and is assembled from just four manufactured parts.
The disruptive technology could also dramatically cut the wait time for custom-fit prosthetics. Amputees can currently wait weeks or even months for a prosthesis, but the Open Bionics prototype can be measured, manufactured and custom-fitted in under a week.
The design of the hand is bio-mimetic, using soft robotics to closely replicate bones, ligaments and skin that make up a human hand. This helps keeps the weight of the prosthesis down while also making it more stable.
For more information see Open Bionics 3D-printed robotic hand wins Dyson Award @ www.wired.co.uk
Philip Connolly, Policy and Development Manager said –
“Sometimes it is not simply about transferring resources to disabled people but also power too and especially the power to create further resources. That power can happen in several ways. One key way is through having tools; tools like 3D printers and the skills to design and use these printers and to print new products, prototypes and even prosthetics limbs where required.
Disability Rights UK are alive to this new technology and have initiated the first mobile digital fabrication laboratory for disabled people through partnership with the Universities of Salford and of Dundee.
The fab lab is currently touring the neighbourhoods of the city of Salford and we expect it to contribute to democratising the user base for digital technology.
Please contact Philip.connolly@disablityrightsuk.org with your idea, design or product or wish to acquire these skills and access this power.”
For more information see About our 'In the Making' project and Our Mobile Fab Lab launch event.