Bionicli Turning Disability Into Superpowers With Affordable Bionic Prosthetic Hand For Children With Transradial Amputation
About the Practice
Claim 1: The design of a compound mechanism that will eliminate the projections on the interior surface of the finger and therefore conform to a smoother profile. Claim 2: Development of a universal socket arm (with multi-fit straps). Claim 3: Novel use of PVC(Poly Vinyl Chloride) and ABS(Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) material for developing anthropomorphic features of the hand. Claim 4: Turning disability into superpowers.
Detail:
The cases of amputation from the road and the household accidents in India have increased due to a number of factors. Due to such unfortunate incidents, amputees, mainly children have to suffer and are exposed to limited ability. Amputees have to undergo repeated surgeries to incorporate implants in the body for securing the prosthetic hand. The design eliminates any surgical operations to be done on the body of the amputee by developing a universal socket. The benefits of having a prosthetic hand that is capable of maintaining the conformity in mimicking the hand and hence an artificial hand with enhanced capabilities and functionalities shall deliver the following: 1. The capability of mimicking the human hand anatomy with fingers, thumb, and palm, 2. Grasping cylindrical objects and pinching a paper or a card, 3. The dexterous maneuver of the fingers and thumb with respect to the stimulus, 4. Faster movement of the distal phalanx as compared to the proximal phalanx, and 5. Turning disability into superpowers with the help of 3D printed hand ergonomics. Available hand mechanisms do not have a smooth interior surface to hold objects properly without using any prosthetic glove. Moreover, the prosthetic hand devices developed like Ottobock, VASI, and Utah/MIT hand, do not have a simple design that can perform adaptive grasp (When an object is approached by the hand, the fingers conform to the geometry of the object using a single common actuator which is termed as adaptive grasp). One of the key aspects of rapid prototyping or 3D printing is the ability to use a number of materials to print. The modifications and customization that can be incorporated for every children, based on his/her amputation is a plus. With the advent of opensource platforms offering 3D printing solution, it has become very easy on the part of the user to create things on their own. The concept of turning disability into superpowers is inspired by the organizations/groups abroad, one such example is OpenBionics. Deliverable number 5 mentioned above signifies how the technology can be amalgamated with the society. The dogma attached with the use of a prosthetic device is limiting children using it. No matter how hard we try to mimic the human hand, there will be limitations and a robotic or an alien appearance will be there. Working on the development of the prosthetic hand for more than 2 years now, made the team thinks that the dogma attached with the use of prosthetics in India needs to be broken. It should not be considered that a child with amputation is disabled in any sense rather he or she shall be given a superpower to fight against the odds of the society. The idea of providing a 3D printed prosthetic hand to children with transradial amputation evolved into a cause rather than the thesis project. Every one of us has watched cartoon characters to whom we relate to, starting from the famous Marvel series, Ironman, Batman, Spiderman, or be it Power Puff Girls or Franklin or Barbie. With the help of 3D printing machines and ease of customization, we can print these characters on the outer body of the hand. That way they will relate to it with more confidence and emotions rather than a dead plastic prosthetic hand. Taking feedback from the parents reveals that their child stopped wearing the prosthetic device after a few weeks of use because of the humiliation followed. That strange feeling of having a plastic arm is making the children feel uncomfortable. But with the styling of the hand with cartoon characters they can act like a superhero in their own world. We are in the conversation for collaborating with Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) and Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (Jaipur Foot). For volunteers, Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology for Handicapped has agreed to help us in recording user experience.
About the Innovator
Address: E-208, Hall of Residence - IV, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
City: Kanpur
State: Uttar Pradesh
PIN Code 208016
Email: iitk.nishant@gmail.com
Contact No: 9650347996.0
Practice Details
Link: 1. Affordability using 3D printing techniques;
2. Design for mimicking human hand anatomy;
3. Control and Actuation using single motor;
4. Universal Socket Arm;
5. Turning disability into superpowers.
Problem Scale: Worldwide
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