AFFORDABLE PROSTHESES

We’ve been able to create myoelectric prosthetic limbs, where the user controls the limb’s movements using their own muscles, for decades. For a prosthetic hand, it’s usually using the muscles in the arm. But it’s only recently that such technology became cost-effective enough to be a realistic option for most amputees. Largely, that’s thanks to the rise of 3D printing, which allows engineers to produce custom parts quickly and affordably.

UK company OpenBionics creates 3D-printed myoelectric prostheses, and all of its work is open source, allowing other researchers to build on it. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have integrated ultrasound control into one of the OpenBionics’ arms, which has proved sensitive enough to allow a musician who lost his hand and forearm to play the piano again. Meanwhile, at Newcastle University, researchers have developed a bionic hand with a camera that can photograph objects and trigger movements, allowing the user to grip the objects more effectively.