3D-printed Robohands help kids without fingers

05-31-2013 • http://news.cnet.com, by Tim Hornyak

People who have lost fingers can try to get robotic hands that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Or they can try to 3D-print their own hand.

That's what Richard van As did after a woodworking accident in 2011 cost him four fingers. The South African carpenter decided to build his own fingers from hardware store parts but eventually turned to 3D printing.

Using a MakerBot Replicator 2 printer, he collaborated with Ivan Owen to create a prosthetic finger after much trial and error. They've since printed hands for four South African children who lack fingers.

The first was Liam, a 5-year-old boy with amniotic band syndrome, who was born without fingers on his right hand. At the request of his mother, Van As and Owen produced Robohand, a low-cost, 3D-printed prosthetic.

The Robohand works by a series of cables and bungee cords that are controlled by movements of the wrist and arm.