3D Printing

3D Printed Open Bionics Shortlisted, Vying for £50,000 Inclusive Technology Prize

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), roughly 15% of the world’s populace — or an estimated 1 billion people — live with some sort of disability. The Inclusive Technology Prize seeks to empower individuals and small businesses with big ideas capable of helping the over 12.2 million people living with disability in Great Britain.

When I first heard of this prize, I assumed that 3D printing technology could be somehow utilized to provide a better quality of life for those who live with physical disabilities. I couldn’t help but imagine a robotic, sleek prosthetic, printing up one layer at a time, looking like it belonged in an eighty’s science fiction movie. It turns out that Open Bionics had begun developing their affordable, user-tailored 3D printed hands long before I dreamed of wielding a functional “Terminator” claw.

Submissions for the Inclusive Technology Prize opened to the public back in October of 2014, with a mission statement “to improve or develop assistive living aids, adaptations, products and systems that will make a real difference to the lives of disabled people.”

This March, Open Bionics was placed on a shortlist of 25 semi-finalists, selected to advance in the competition with over 200 entries. The Open Bionics team is now developing detailed plans in this mentorship stage of the contest, to be assessed by the panel of judges in June, after which up to ten finalists will be selected and given £10,000 to further develop prototypes of their ideas.

open bionics 3D printed prosthetic hand

After hearing the news, Open Bionics CEO, Joel Gibbard, touched upon why his team originally entered the contest: “We believe there’s a huge need for affordable robotic prosthetics and we think we can help by using emerging technologies like 3D scanning and 3D printing to bring the cost down.”

Their submission, “Affordable 3-D Printed Robotic Prosthetic Hands”, weighs the many benefits of their 3D printed robotic limbs against the expensive alternatives that currently dominate the prosthesis market. The report points out that conventional robotic hands designed for children cost anywhere between £20,000 and £100,000, and must be upgraded at least once a year.

“This can financially cripple families,” Open Bionics acknowledges. “So, we plan to sell our robotic hands for under £1,000. Our custom-fitting robotic hands will have the same functionality as high-end robotic hands but weigh and cost much less.”

“We’re not just focusing on the functionality of the device, we’re focusing on making 3D printed hands that amputees will enjoy wearing,” Joel Gibbard explained. “We want them to be fashionable, inspiring for children, and even have a few extra capabilities to one-up the human hand. We’re constantly working with amputees to develop these desirable devices.”

The rules for the Inclusive Technology Prize stipulate: “If the entrant is non-disabled, it is important that the development of the idea is co-created with disabled people. This is to ensure that the idea is meeting a specified need.”

If Open Bionics is one of the finalists selected this June, their team will spend the next several months further developing prototypes of their robotic prosthetic hands. Finalists for the Prize will be judged in February of 2016, and the grand prizewinner of £50,000 will be announced in March.

We wish all semi-finalists the best of luck in the months to come!