Project: Prosthetic

Inspiration

This weekend I wanted to not only build something unique and creative, but to also challenge myself to complete a hefty undertaking using the time and resources I had available to me at PennApps. Since I've always had an interest in seeing how effective technology can be at improving people's health, specifically in prosthetics, I decided to design, build, and test a prosthetic hand at this hackathon as a personal challenge for myself.

What it does

I created Project: Prosthetic in order to achieve three very specific goals towards making usable prosthetic attachments more affordable and more easily manufactured:

1.) To create a prosthetic hand using less than $100 in material costs.

2.) To achieve basic motor functionality with this medical device such as grasping, hand signs, and writing.

3.) To finalize a design and to finish a prototype within the 36 hours I had at PennApps.

How I built it

I first drafted a rough sketch of what I wanted the prosthetic hand to look and how I expected it to function. Next, I refined those drawings by drawing them up in a CAD program and making multiple additions and subtractions to the design of each individual component of the device. The majority of my time was spent working on the designs of each individual part of the device as a change in one part would usually mean an update to another part in order to maintain the synergy of the overall device. Once satisfied with my overall design in my CAD drawings, I prepared the files necessary for 3D printing, printed my parts, and did some finishing work and assembly to complete my prototype.

Challenges I ran into

By far the largest challenge I encountered was trying to get all of my prototype's parts printed efficiently and on time. Despite having four 3D printers available to us, I did not account for the large volume of people who also had plans to print parts during the course of PennApps. As a result, I was unable to print even half of all the parts I needed for my prototype. To remedy this handicap, I spent more effort towards improving my CAD drawings and making them more interactive with people so that they could be showcased in lieu of the physical prototype.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Figuring out how to mechanically incorporate opposable thumbs into my device was a truly difficult task. In the end, however, I was able to use a novel technique to not only replicate the thumb's swivel, but also its ability to swivel in different planes of motion. I am also quite proud of how the parts of my prototype that did successfully print turned out; they definitely look like they came straight out of a research laboratory.

What I learned

Fingers are really repetitive to make. On a more serious note, I became more familiar with 3D printing processes and CAD design. I also got a better grasp of what designing products entails, specifically prosthetics. You have to consider both your own needs for the project and the customer's needs for the product. Being able to strike a balance between these two requirements will yield a much better and creative result than catering specifically to either the customer or yourself will.

What's next for Project: Prosthetic

Project: Prosthetic is definitely well within its infancy and still has a lot of room to develop. I, for one, am excited to pursue improvements to the first prototype I made at PennApps and will most likely be contributing more time into this project throughout this coming school year. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to streamline the aesthetics of the hand and add another individual finger alongside the index finger. I'm certainly looking forward to the upgrades I can bring to the table for this hack.

Built With

• 3d-printing
• cad
• hand-tools
• iterative-design
• solidworks