Robohand is a simple, 3D-printed prosthesis for people who don't have fingers. As an open-source and crowdfunding project, it's helping people for little or no cost.
Tim Hornyak
Crave freelancer Tim Hornyak is the author of "Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots." He has been writing about Japanese culture and technology for a decade. E-mail Tim.
Liam, a 5-year-old South African boy, was born without fingers on his right hand due to amniotic band syndrome. But with the help of his own 3D-printed fingers, he can perform precise movements like picking up coins.
Richard van As, who lost his own fingers in an accident, developed the 3D-printed prosthesis called Robohand.
"I can pick up stuff," Liam says in a Robohand video. "I can throw a ball."
Dylan, who also lacks fingers on his right hand, flexes his 3D-printed Robohand digits.
"I'm excited to try cricket, golf, and go swimming with it," he says.
3 of 5 Robohand
Eden
Eden, who received her own pink Robohand, holds a ball in her right hand for the first time.
4 of 5 Robohand
Plastic appendages
Robohand consists of a gauntlet, hand cap, and fingers 3D-printed on a MakerBot Replicator 2. It has simple functionality: when the wrist is bent, a series of cables retracts the digits, allowing the user to grasp objects.
5 of 5 Robohand
Waldo
Waldo also received a Robohand. As he grows, larger parts can be easily printed and fitted to his prosthesis.
"It's fun to have, awesome. And I can do almost everything with it," he says. "My friends think it's awesome."
