Soon, many more UK children may be proudly bearing their own superhero hands, as this week begins the first-ever clinical trial for 3D printed bionic hands for children. Open Bionics signed a partnership with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) in December for the trial, which will last for six months and provide 10 children with the prosthetic devices.
“It was probably our biggest milestone in terms of getting this bionic hand to amputees,” said Samantha Payne, co-founder of Open Bionics. “If that goes well and does everything we think it will, we’ll be offered the chance to apply for £1m grant money to roll the product out across all NHS clinics. That’s what we’re hoping to achieve this year. This will be miles ahead for the NHS.”
Open Bionics 3D prints its prosthetic hands in four parts, and adds sensors which attach to the wearer’s skin to detect muscle movements, allowing the wearer to open and close and otherwise control the hand.
“Prosthetics have to custom fit every individual user and the software also has to work with them,” Payne explained. “The big innovation, and how we’re saving money, is by changing the materials that prosthetics are made of [and] by using 3D scanning to take the initial fitting. It takes about two minutes, and we can then build the socket in 24 hours.”
Open Bionics has also signed a royalty-free agreement with Disney allowing it to use Disney-themed designs for its prosthetics. Frozen fans can choose a blue, sparkling, snowflake-adorned hand, while Iron Man enthusiasts can walk around looking like Tony Stark in red and gold. There’s even a luminous Star Wars lightsaber hand, and Open Bionics promises that new designs will be coming soon, too.
If the clinical trial succeeds, it will not only be a victory for Open Bionics, it will demonstrate the value of 3D printed prosthetic and bionic devices to the whole world. 3D printed prosthetics are still largely provided by nonprofits, and having them covered by a major public health agency would be a huge step forward towards integrating them into mainstream healthcare. We may see a day – sooner rather than later – when all children who have lost limbs are able to feel like superheroes or royalty. Discuss in the Open Bionics forum at 3DPB.com.
[Sources: Independent, Mirror]