Making a Prosthetic Hand with a 3D Printer

Here's some more sci fi in the real world since the researcher, an incredibly young man, has come up with a way to make an artificial hand on a printer.  Moreover, it's highly-effective.  (Science Daily: Lending a hand: Student 3d prints functional, affordable prosthetic)

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke


Bouricius, who as a teaching assistant helps run the Ithaca College 3D Printing Lab, became interested in building prostheses after coming across a YouTube video of someone printing and assembling prosthetic hands for little cost.  He instantly became interested.  After doing some research, he found free designs online, printed out the pieces and assembled a hand in one day.  Ever since, he has been working on the prosthesis and figuring out ways it can be improved.

- Science Daily


Check out his youth:

Physics student Ryan Bouricius with the prosthetic hand he built.

Credit: Image courtesy of Ithaca College

Check out those rosy cheeks.  He's a kid!

Ed:  he won't dig being called a kid!

From where I sit, just about everyone is a kid (larfs).

Maybe this looks like a one-off kind of stunt but Ryan Bouricius is looking to find someone who can use it so he can give it to that person.

This is especially important for families with children who need prostheses.  Because children outgrow them quickly, the costs of prostheses can be considerable over time.  With 3D printing, however, Bouricius' model can be affordably re-printed in larger sizes as the child grows.

Bouricius is working with eNABLE, a non-profit organization that matches 3D-printed prostheses with those in need of them, to find a recipient for his printed hand.

"They know I live in New York, so if someone contacts them they will look at a map and tell them there's someone at Ithaca College," Bouricius said.  "Once they contact us then it's left to us to work out the rest."

- Science Daily

How about that one for Christmas.