Schlagwort: 3D printed prosthetic

  • Million Waves Project 3D Prints Prosthetic Limbs From Ocean Plastics

    Million Waves Project 3D Prints Prosthetic Limbs From Ocean Plastics

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Charitable non-profit Million Waves Project combines a passion for cleaning up the ocean with helping young people in need: this young organization aims to provide prosthetic limbs 3D printed from reclaimed ocean plastics for children in need, worldwide, free of charge.

    Ocean plastic pollution is a core issue right now, with increasingly large patches of plastic particulates circulating the oceans the subject of much media attention right now. Some shocking forecasts even suggest that, by weight, there will be more plastic than fish in the planet’s oceans by 2050. To provide a solution, many innovative companies and creators have begun to recycle found plastics into usable products, notably filament for 3D printing.

    Now, a new project is taking things to the next level. Launched in the dead of night on Earth Day, The Million Waves Project looks to use up the blight of ocean plastics for something beneficial to those in need.

    The non-profit’s goal is to provide free custom prosthetic limbs for children that otherwise might not have access to them.  They aim to do this by 3D printing — be it printed directly on the organization’s newly acquired Ultimaker 2 or via 3rd-parties around the world — the limbs from this recycled ocean trash.

    Explaining The Million Waves Project, founder Chris Moriarity said “I realized that one of the world’s most shameful problems could be reclaimed and turned into something to be proud of. [A] story of redemption we could all take part in”. Quite the revelation, and an especially powerful one to have has it at 2 o’clock in the morning.


    Anyone can buy a Million Waves keychain and help sponsor a 3D printed limb. (Image: Million Waves Project)

    Partners Deliver Necessary Support

    Thus, the Million Waves Project was born. Within a week new partnerships had been forged, with companies offering expertise and funding for the altruistic endeavor.

    “We are just getting started,” explained Moriarity. “This is a world-changing operation, and everyone can get involved on the ground floor”.

    Among the first official partners is GreenBatch, an Australia-based non-profit organization which, in its efforts to rid Australia of single-use plastics sources waste ocean plastics and turns it into 3D printable filament.

    Rather than developing their own, it appears that Million Waves turns to the well established open-source prosthetic limb movement, e-Nable.

    Moriarty continues “[F]or as little as $45 we can provide a limb for someone that will dramatically change their life, they can go to work, or play ball with their friends – and we have the technology do it responsibly.”

    To see more of what Million Waves is about, check out the organization’s site here.

    License: The text of „Million Waves Project 3D Prints Prosthetic Limbs From Ocean Plastics“ by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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  • Researchers 3D Print Functional Robotic Prosthetic Hand at a Fraction of the Cost

    Researchers 3D Print Functional Robotic Prosthetic Hand at a Fraction of the Cost

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Researchers from the University of Manchester have developed an extremely affordable 3D printed robotic prosthetic hand. The assistive device enables groundbreaking functionality for amputees, and can be fully customized for the user via an Android app.

    A team of designers from the University of Manchester have recently created a robotic hand prosthetic with 3D printing technology. The development could potentially slash production costs for assistive devices, offering a more affordable alternative for amputees.

    This new prosthetic can be seen as more than just a cheap alternative, but also as a functional improvement over traditional devices. The joints of the prosthetic hand are fully posable, meaning that each individual finger and thumb can be moved independently. In the real world, the 3D printed hand would provide amputees with an opportunity to handle everyday tasks such as picking up items, using a knife and fork, clicking a mouse, or even playing rock-paper-scissors.

    Usually, these expanded functionalities do not come without a hefty price. However, that’s where the prototype really stands out as a groundbreaking device. The engineers from University of Manchester built the hand for just around £307 ($433 USD). On top of that, the creators firmly believe that the production cost can be reduced further. To give you some context, advanced prosthetics like this one usually come with exorbitant price tags, costing anywhere in the range of £25,000 ($35,000 USD) to £60,000 ($85,000).


    3D Printing Helps Researchers Develop Prosthetic Hand that is Functional and Fresh

    The team 3D printed the robotic prosthetic using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing. The technique uses resin material, which is solidified into a 3D model using a high-powered laser. The researchers also plan to test out Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing, which could bring the price down even lower.

    The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) estimates that there are around 6,000 limb amputations carried out each year in the country. Furthermore, whilst non-robotic limbs are available for cosmetic purpose, robotic ones have the power to transform lives and restore functionality to the user.

    But the University of Manchester researchers want to combine functionality and aesthetics, producing a prosthetic that amputees can wear proudly.

    “Not only do we want to make it affordable, we want people to actually like the look of it and not be ashamed or embarrassed of using or wearing it. Some traditional prosthetics can both look and feel cumbersome or, those that don’t, are extremely expensive. We think our design really can make a difference and we will be looking to commercialise the project in the future,” said Alex Agboola-Dobson, a Mechanical Engineering Master at the University of Manchester.


    And, if that isn’t interesting enough, the prototype also includes a Bluetooth connection and also comes with its own Android app. This enables wearers to control the robotics via muscle sensors on the arm. Additionally, the extent of the prosthetic hand’s functionality is fully customizable through the Android app.

    Recently, the design of the prosthetic hand won an award for the “Best New Development” in the Digital Innovation Challenge at the recent Industry 4.0 Summit and Factories of the Future Expo.

    The project was led by mechanical engineer Alex Agboola-Dobson, who received assistance from lead electrical engineer Sebastian Preston-Jensen, lead software engineer Panagiotis Papathanasiou, as well as mechanical and software engineers Maximillian Rimmer and Shao Hian Liew.

    Source: University of Manchester

    License: The text of „Researchers 3D Print Functional Robotic Prosthetic Hand at a Fraction of the Cost“ by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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