[Ian Davis] has decided to start over on his hand. [Ian] is missing four fingers on his left hand and has for a year now been showcasing DIY prosthetics on his YouTube channel. Back in July, we covered [Ian]’s aluminum hand.
Why aluminum? [Ian] found himself reprinting previous versions’ 3D printed plastic parts multiple times due to damage in the hinged joints, or UV damage rendering them brittle. With an ingenious splaying mechanism and some sensors powered by an Arduino, [Ian] has been wearing the custom machined aluminum hand on a daily basis.
However, as with many makers, he had that itch to revisit and refine the project. Even though the last version was a big jump in quality of life, he still found room for improvement. One particular problem was that the sensors tended to shift around and made it hard to get an accurate reading. To overcome this, [Ian] turned to a molding process. However, adding a stabilizing silicon layer meant that the design of the prosthetic needed to change. With several improvements in mind, [Ian] started the process of creating the plaster positive of his palm, working to create a silicon negative. The next step from here was to create a fiberglass shell that can go over the silicone with sensor wires embedded into the fiberglass shell.
It has been amazing to see the explosion in 3D printed prosthetics over the past few years and hope the trend continues. We look forward to seeing the next steps in [Ian’s] journey towards their ideal prosthetic!
Thanks [morgan] for sending this one in!
Amazing work. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.
I’ve been fascinated by his hand.
I wish there were 3D files to print a replica. I’d love to design a full metal Waldo based on his hand, add the thumb, and make it completely mechanical.
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.”
If you’re trying to impress me, you’re going to have to do a lot more than that…
This is very cool. Though I can’t help taking it as a reminder to behave myself with the table saw.
If I recall HaD covered the Saw Stop a while back. I’m not sure when, I’ve been following HaD from the early days.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eiYoBbEZwlk
Apparently my affiliation for useless facts pays off occasionally.
https://hackaday.com/2017/06/22/ask-hackaday-sawstop-bastion-of-safety-or-patent-troll/#more-259835
Not too keen on saw stop. As qwert points out below, too much safety limits chances of cyborg hands.
safety third.
Pfffft why? That pussy safety shit is keeping you from having a sweet cyborg hand!
Part way there. One wrist is full of metal and screws following a bike accident. Sadly it looks stock though.
Excellent design, craftsmanship, tutorial, and video!
very madmax, i like it.
What about a compressed air canister (break booster like) power assist. This should only use air when the grip needed exceeds a certain amount, while keeping the travel minimum and providing valuable feedback. Like power steering.
A built in small pump, like a miniature bike pump could allow re-compression from the other hand or elbow joint in the event a long day away from home uses all air reserved.
Very impressive. Interesting how quickly he got through 3D printed parts.
I see my comment that was last seen “awaiting moderation” nearly 12hrs ago because of two links that go directly to externally-hosted JPEGs *still* has not been approved.
I admit you’ve impressed me… but not in any sort of way that could even remotely be considered “good”.
If human beings were intelligently designed we would be born with GPIO pins.
A couple of bumps and it would look like a it could act as a badass knuckleduster.
It’ll probably leave a mark as it is…
Interesting?
Ian used 3d printing properly.
Prototyping and art. That’s what 3d printing is for. Period. End of list.
People need to stop spending 20 hours of electricity and $100 worth of exotic filament to print something that SHOULD be made with $5 worth of acrylic or polycarbonate sheet and an hour of hand tool effort.
this guy always reminds me, that you shouldnt let a doctor tell you to take your limbs because you got an infection going on. my uncle developed a treatment based on “retrograd venous perfusion” to save digits and limbs otherwise doomed to rot, basically, he cuts bloodflow to the limb , and infuses a medication cocktail with high pressure, so it diffuses in the tissue around the blood vessels. he said the level of medication in the tissue is up to 25 times higher than regular infusion, and doesnt stress the circulary system as much. everytime i see someone having lost a limb due to infection i have to think about that, got a link for anyone interested. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s001050170007. would also count as bio hack
I thought it was intriguing when you indicated that changing the prosthetic’s design required adding a stabilizing silicon layer. My daughter expresses interest in the topic of prosthetics. I’ll help her out by enrolling her in the prosthetic education program.