JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The partnership between Ivan Owen and Richard Van As ended up benefitting more than just each other. With the help of technology the two are changing lives around the world, and opening the eyes of others to future possibilities. After Van As, in Johannesburg, South Africa lost 2 full fingers and 2 half fingers in a table saw accident he looked on the Internet for suggestions on physical aids.
Typical below-the-elbow prosthetics cost between $10,000 and $15,000, a sum Van As was unable to afford. Instead he turned to Owen, a puppeteer in Washington, U.S.A. The prosthetics they constructed, one for Van As and one for a 5 year old without fingers on one hand due to amniotic band syndrome, took weeks to produce and even more time to adjust. Finally, the pair realized their task could be exponentially simpler and faster if they used one of the latest technological crazes: a 3d printer.
One 3D printer and equipment company was equally intrigued by the possibilities of the technology. MakerBot, based in New York City, gave 3D printers to both Owen and Van As. Their two models, the Replicator 2 and the Replicator 2X, cost $2,199 and $2,799 respectively, but the company gave the team two for free.
Owen converted the handcrafted mechanics into parts and created a ‘Robohand’ to replace Liam’s cruder version. Now, custom Robohands cost $500, at least 20 times less than conventional prosthetics. The original Robohand design and instructions are available for download on Thingiverse and can be constructed with $150 in parts. Van As, however, envisions the project going further. Eventually he wants Robohand kits to be available for sale in stores so that anyone with access to a 3D printer can construct their own.
Hands are not the only prosthetic being printed. A team of Cornell biomedical engineers and Weill Cornell Medical College physicians developed an ear using 3D printers on which the patient’s cartilage can be grown to create a prosthetic. First, a 3d image of the ear is created from which a mold is printed.
The mold is then filled with an injectable gel made up of living cells. After allowing it to culture for a few days the ear is then able to support cartilage and, since it uses the patient’s cells, can be easily attached with less risk of rejection. The full process takes only a few days. Not only do these ears look more natural, they also do not require invasive procedures like the alternatives. Current ear prosthetics typically require a steel rod to attach it to the head and are sometimes constructed from one of the patient’s own ribs. Cornell’s less painful and more successful option is being touted as possible in as early as three years.
Even eyes, the complicated windows to the soul, are being produced by 3D printers. A UK based company, Fripp Design, joined with Manchester Metropolitan University to create a 3D printed eye that is exponentially cheaper than standard glass or acrylic eyes. Traditional glass eyes are painstakingly painted by hand and can cost almost $5,000 in the UK. Using 3D printers Fripp Design can produce 150 eyes per hour with the full spectrum of colors, customizable for the client. The total cost for one of these eyes is less than $175.
Although 3D printing is not a brand new concept, the boom in humanitarian interest in the technology has had impressive results thus far. With an estimated 25.5 million people in the world needing prosthetic aids there is ample room for individuals like Owen and Van As to develop affordable and effective solutions. This technology is especially appealing because it requires so little equipment and expertise since others have provided those components. It is easy to imagine 3D printers transforming the way prosthetics are viewed, making them immensely more accessible to those in need.
– Katey Baker-Smith
Sources: ISPO, CNET, Huffington Post, NY Daily News, NPR, Robohand, Makerbot
Photo: Digital Trends