Mankoff explained, “What people need is simple – a better way to hold a knitting needle, roll out dough or open a jar. Yet finding individually customized solutions to each of these problems is almost impossible. When it comes to such task-specific, custom prosthetics, mass production isn’t really an option.”
We talk about 3D printed prosthetics a lot here. But Mankoff said that the market for assistive technology is only designed around a small number of recipients, and certainly not the millions of people who require devices and technologies that are usually fairly expensive.
“In addition, there’s only so many variations that can be supported by such a market. In contrast, our work at the Institute focuses on individualized tools that meet personal and task-specific needs, we can make hands or arms quickly, inexpensively and they have specific advantages in terms of design flexibility and weight,” Mankoff said.
Mankoff said, “[We’ve designed] prosthetic devices for [various] specific tasks: For example, playing the cello, operating a hand-cycle, and using a table knife. By creating task-specific solutions, customized to the needs of the person and a task they care about, we believe it is possible to improve the retention of prosthetic devices. When a prosthetic does not fit the needs of its user well, it is likely to be abandoned. We believe that one way to reduce this is to make more task-specific solutions.”
A young cello player, 11-year-old Kharan Wilbur of Pittsburgh, has only one arm, but the team created a prosthesis for Wilbur so he could play the cello.
This specific prosthesis allows for more fine-grain movement than traditionally manufactured prosthetic arms do: prototypes and design ideas can be changed and upgraded several times, as 3D printing makes iterative design much easier. Additionally, while a typical prosthetic hand could cost between $6,000 and $10,000, 3D printing offers more affordable solutions. In addition to helping over 1,500 people since the project began in 2013, CMU’s assistive technologies project allowed Wilbur to play the cello at his elementary school recital.
Mankoff says that the overarching goal of the project is to make the process smarter.
“We are working to develop technologies for tracking use over time so we can discover how 3D-printed prosthetic devices are used, and what opportunities exist to improve their adoption and reduce abandonment. We are also working on new materials and new ways of printing that can increase comfort and support new types of interactive devices.”
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[Sources: Forbes, Health Tech Insider, Digital Trends / Images: CMU]