14 DAY TRIAL // Prosthetics are one of the fields that has benefited the most from the rise of 3D printing technology, with even kids being capable of crafting workable synthetic hands that are better and yet cheaper than the norm.
There are always means to improve the quality, however, and that is precisely what Steve Wood, of Gyrobot, has done.
As a member of the e-NABLE organization, group of over 3,000 volunteers who collaborate on 3D printable prosthetic devices, he is heavily involved in making replacement limbs for people around the world.
Being a lover of flexible 3D printed objects, he set about creating a prosthetic hand that bore such mechanical traits. The key lied in Filaflex filament.
Filaflex-based prosthetic hand is nearly lifelike
Filaflex is a type of plastic filament that maintains a degree of flexibility even after it has cooled to room temperature. It is this type of filament that Wood used to make the Flexy-Hand.
Just the photo alone should be enough to show how much closer to a real hand the look and feel of the prosthetic is. We've also included a video, which will regale you with the details.
The primary mechanism is still string-based, of course, in need of being tied to your forearm in order to manipulate the grip.
Still, the hand will feel closer to flesh and bone, and will look a bit more natural even if it definitely isn't.
The design here is the Flexy-Hand 2-Filaflex Remix by the way. The first one was introduced back in March 2014, and the second one, the Flexy-Hand 2 which the new one is based on, came out in July.
Wood used a specific material to make it, the Skin 1 FilaFlex, but any flexible plastic will do. There is a Skin II filament as well, for darker skin.
Other features include silent articulation (no more sounds when you flex the fingers), palm socket integral to the hand, thermoformed gauntlet (lower layers in PLA, upper layers in FilaFlex), and each finger and thumb printed in one piece (with CraftWare customizable supports).
Availability
Like all E-NABLE prosthetic hands, this isn't for sale because it's supposed to be for free. The plans can be downloaded from Thingiverse immediately, and any 3D printer with flexible filament support can be used to make it.
