Printing Prosthetic Hands for Children

[Larry Lewis]

Our team would like to invite FIRST teams to get involved in the making of prosthetic hands for children in need by participating in the e-NABLE foundation’s efforts. e-NABLE is a network of volunteers that design and make prosthetic hands using 3D printers.

Any team that has a 3D printer can get involved. It is really simple to register your group, download some of the open source designs out there, and make hands for others.

How do you get involved?
Visit http://enablingthefuture.org/ to get more information on how to sign up for the project. They need people to help making parts and building hands.

Currently we are working towards a 1000 hand challenge to provide hands to various countries like China, Vietnam, Nepal, Haiti, and Ukraine.

If you have any questions for us on what it took to get involved, please contact us via our website at http://penfieldrobotics.com/contact.php

[iggy_gim]

This sounds awesome. Our printer is silent most of the time and we have plenty of filament. I would love to help out like this!

[Larry Lewis]

Originally Posted by iggy_gim

This sounds awesome. Our printer is silent most of the time and we have plenty of filament. I would love to help out like this!

That would be great if your team got involved. If you have any questions just let me know!

[Cynette]

One of Team 1511's Teacher Advisors has produced this great video showcasing the 3-d printing of the prosthetic hands!

http://tinyurl.com/zzrd6te

We are looking for other teams to join in this effort and "lend a hand!"

[techhelpbb]

What about the liability issues that could come from this?

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by techhelpbb

What about the liability issues that could come from this?

e-NABLE has each printing organization send in a test hand to do a pre-qualification. The hands are printed to their specifications. The printed hands go to e-NABLE for final assembly and distribution. What liability issues do you see arising?

[techhelpbb]

Originally Posted by Cynette

e-NABLE has each printing organization send in a test hand to do a pre-qualification. The hands are printed to their specifications. The printed hands go to e-NABLE for final assembly and distribution. What liability issues do you see arising?

I used to make modifications to everything from cars to equipment for the handicapped. The insurance involved can be significant. The sorts of things that may happen can be unusual.

I hate to bring this up but what if some child with the prosthetic has it fail while holding something sharp or possibly holding a hand rail? What protections do the people printing this stuff have in writing?

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by techhelpbb

I used to make modifications to everything from cars to equipment for the handicapped. The insurance involved can be significant. The sorts of things that may happen can be unusual.

I hate to bring this up but what if some child with the prosthetic has it fail while holding something sharp or possibly holding a hand rail? What protections do the people printing this stuff have in writing?

How about this? - from their website:

ACCEPTANCE

By accepting any design, plan, component or assembly related to the so called “e-NABLE Hand” , I understand and agree that any such information or material furnished by any individual associated with the design team is furnished as is without representation or warranties of any kind, express or implied, and is intended to be a gift for the sole purpose of evaluating various design iterations, ideas and modifications. I understand that such improvements are intended to benefit individuals having specific disabilities and are not intended, and shall not be used, for commercial use. I further understand and agree that any individual associated with e-NABLE organization shall not be liable for any injuries or damages resulting from the use of any of the materials related to the e-NABLE hand.

[techhelpbb]

Originally Posted by Cynette

How about this? - from their website:

Who agrees to that? The prosthetic user, their guardian or the people doing the printing? How do the people doing the printing request a copy of the signed agreement for their records?

[jee7s]

To echo techhelpbb, using the word "Prosthetic" attaches a connotation of a medical device to their product. Their own website mentions doing the work in consult with a physician:

Please do not use these devices without consulting a physician prior to use and consult with them as to the best fit and use for you or the person you have created it for.

Please make sure you communicate with a licensed medical professional before you begin and consult with them as you begin to use the device.

So, don't just print them and hand them out. Make sure you are working with someone who is licenced to practice in the field, as the website suggests.

Also while their website has a rather thorough Waiver of Liability with Hold Harmless clause (http://enablingthefuture.org/safety-guidelines/), that may not hold up if certain three letter agencies decide this is a medical device. In foreign countries, that might be an even more onerous governmental organization.

Don't get me wrong, though, this sounds like an awesome idea to help people who can really benefit from techonology. I would just be worried that the byzantine nature of regulation that surrounds anything approaching "medical" might rear its ugly head.

I think the thing that's really missing is an explicit agreement with the printer. The folks at e-NABLE need something in an agreement that says as a volunteer who prints and delivers the devices that you, the printer, will be held harmless and e-NABLE will indemnify you. Indemnify is the key word, as that means that e-NABLE essentially pays your bills if someone tries to take action against you as the manufacturer.

[Cynette]

Ok. Thanks for all of that detail. We might have done all of that when we were vetted as a printing location, and I'm just not the person in the know!

[who716]

i was involved in a winter internship and one of the projects I could have chosen was to custom build a prosthetic arm that is affordable and adjustable to different sized children. although i didn't end up working with that group i know they are doing it through 3D printing and all expenses servos, motors, the sensor that detects nerve movement and the printing of the parts is all under 300 dollars.

[MikLast]

So our two seniors in their 4th year engineering class have also made a prosthetic hand as their yearlong project, and already have printed out most of the hand/wrist and have it wired up. Ill see if they are also interested in this.