3-D Printed Prosthetics
New open source designs and advances in 3-D printing are bringing affordable prosthetics to children around the world.
Recent developments in bionic prosthetics offer many without limbs a life-changing opportunity.
Yet for most people, especially those in the developing world, these advanced prosthetics are financially out of reach and many are left with few or no options.
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e-NABLE is an innovative organisation that gets volunteers across the world to create free prosthetic hands for children by using 3-D printers. The prosthetic hands work for children who are missing fingers or arms below the elbow, and fit onto the remaining arm. The hands do not have electrical parts, and instead use an elastic tensioning system which allows the hand to flex and grip.
The project focuses on children as they grow out of prosthetics extremely quickly. On average, to ensure they fit, the prosthetic needs to be replaced once every six months. This is costly and often unaffordable for many families with low incomes but the work of e-NABLE is tackling this by encouraging volunteers to print the affordable prosthetics as the child grows.
The open source nature of the e-NABLE designs also means that engineers and designers across the world are able to modify and adapt them so the prosthetics are always improving.
Join Dr Javid Abdelmoneim in Brazil as he meets Rafael and Ana-Luisa, two children whose confidence and capabilities have grown since gaining the affordable prosthetic hands, and we see how 3-D printing and open source designs are revolutionising access to prosthetics.