It actually gives off some serious Star Wars vibes

Oct 17, 2014 14:08 GMT  ·  By

Most 3D printed prosthetic hands, and prosthetics in general really, lack that certain panache that sci-fi artificial limbs give off just by virtue of being, well, functional and normal hand-sized. 3D printing technology has allowed the YouBionic to take on an appearance much like their own though.

This used to be a problem for a long time. Prosthetic hands that looked cool tended to be, well, not cool, stiff and unruly, even heavy. Either that, or they worked but were expensive as sin.

Meanwhile, there were really ugly and large hands that barely resembled human limbs, but which still worked more or less.

Now that 3D printing technology is allowing for the creation of prosthetics priced at a thousandth of the cost but with superior performance, everyone seems to be paying attention to them.

A company by the name of YouBionic decided to adopt the technology as well, but it wasn't satisfied with the standards of the e-NABLE community, or anyone else making 3D printed hands and feet.

The YouBionic robotic hand

Currently known only as the “YouBionic Hand,” the robotic limb is, sure enough, made with liberal use of 3D printing technology, but has several differences compared to the others out there.

First off, it looks a lot more awesome. Closer to the shape of real hands, especially if you wear a glove over it, which should be easy enough since this is a technologically-driven contraption with better tensile strength than the rest.

Another difference is that the hand is not meant to be produced from parts. Instead, it should be possible to make in a single printing session. Sure, some support structures might be involved in the production, but it's still a big deal.

Thus, the YouBionic robot hand will not only restore your ability to go “hands-on” with something, but it will also “reduce the feeling of embarrassment that sometimes occurs when showing a prosthesis,” according to project designer Federico Ciccarese.

Speaking of whom, his other teammates are software engineer Mauro Alfieri and hardware engineer Ernesto Marchesi. Together, they created a complex platform that can be upgraded over time and works on the principle of material deformation.

Basically, they can plan the behavior of the hand and its parts by the deformation of the material, with the assembly quality having little bearing. A total inversion of the norm, you could say.

At the core of it all is a main skeletal structure and a rotational transportation leverage mechanism synced in such a way that they can provide realistic movement whenever a double rotation is sent from a single actuator. An Arduino board runs everything.

Pricing and availability

The YouBionic hand is not ready for sale yet, but when it is, it will bear a price of $1,000 / €781 or thereabouts. Not quite the fifty bucks you may have grown to expect, but still a tenth of standard prosthetics.