Prosthetic Hand From 3D Printer

[Ben]

I thought this was really cool. A father borrowed a friend's 3D printer to make a prosthetic hand for his young son. They are apparently trying different designs as they figure out what works and what doesn't. $15 versus $30K.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/slices/father-uses-3d-printer-make-prosthetic-hand-young-son

[TommyGunn]

Or $15.00 versus.............

[Azrael256]

I know a dude who runs a 3D printing shop for a big hospital.  The machinists and the device manufacturers keep slashing his tires.  Seriously.  He's doing design to prototype to primetime in days instead of months on stuff like that.

[BryanP]

Fascinating. Thanks for linking this.  There's a much longer article with more details here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/06/18/191279201/3-d-printer-brings-dexterity-to-children-with-no-fingers

Lots of background info. The father & son don't even come into it until half way through.

[roo_ster]

Kansas teen uses 3-D printer to make hand for boy

http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/31/4790811/kansas-teen-uses-3-d-printer-to.html

Another robohand.  This one put together by a high school kid with engineering aspirations accomplishments.  For his neighbor's son.

But it’s what the 16-year-old Louisburg High School junior made about two months ago that has him most excited these days. Not because it was so challenging, but because it’s already changing the life of a family friend’s 9-year-old son who was born without fingers on one hand.

Using a 3-D printer at the Johnson County Library, Wilde made a prosthetic hand that opens and closes and can even hold a pencil.

Just ask young Matthew how he feels about Wilde.

“He’s awesome,” the boy said, thrusting his mechanical hand high above his head.

Library has a 3D printer you can use if you have a library card.  Sweet.

Also, such DIY prosthetics get around Obamacare's medical device tax.

[Firethorn]

Also, such DIY prosthetics get around Obamacare's medical device tax.

1. Awesome indeed; unfortuantly I figure the kid will never go pro in the system due to all the medical regulations(I'm half surprised the FDA isn't busting him as is).
2. Why can't professional manufacturers do this?  I remember reading about a DoD program where the guy was breaking all sorts of capability records with his prosthetics for veterans, but couldn't get enough money to train others to do what he was doing...   
3.  What was the bloomin' idea behind the medical device tax?  Why not a medical procedure or drug tax?  It's not like a person generally has a choice as to whether he or she gets a pacemaker.

[TommyGunn]

1. Awesome indeed; unfortuantly I figure the kid will never go pro in the system due to all the medical regulations(I'm half surprised the FDA isn't busting him as is).
2. Why can't professional manufacturers do this?  I remember reading about a DoD program where the guy was breaking all sorts of capability records with his prosthetics for veterans, but couldn't get enough money to train others to do what he was doing...   3.  What was the bloomin' idea behind the medical device tax?  Why not a medical procedure or drug tax?  It's not like a person generally has a choice as to whether he or she gets a pacemaker.

There are professionals that have made some pretty advanced prosthetics recently.  An article I read a year or so ago described a Swiss man's prosthetic hand.  He'd lost it due to a tumor.  The robotic hand was directly attached to the nerves that operated his fingers and each robot finger could move independantly.   The thumb had some degree of pronation as well.  The article stated the next production model would be permanently attached to the user's arm.
We're not yet at the point of creating a real Six Million Dollar Man but we're getting closer ... though with Obama's health care and medical device tax even current robotic limbs might really price out at $6,000,000.00

[dogmush]

Also, such DIY prosthetics get around Obamacare's medical device tax.

Legislation to ban "Ghost Hands", and No Knock raid to seize dangerous unregulated medical tools in 5.......4......3.........