French non-profit organization My Human Kit is collaborating with Sculpteo, France-based digital manufacturing company and subsidiary of BASF, to design and manufacture an open-source bionic hand. The Bionicohand, conceived and developed by Nicolas Huchet—co-founder of My Human Kit and a forearm amputee—reflects the organization’s mission to create personalized, accessible, and sustainable prosthetics.
“Our collaboration with Sculpteo provides access to certified, high-performance industrial-grade 3D printing materials, enabling us to create more functional and mechanically robust prototypes. This advanced expertise helps us push the boundaries of manufacturing,” explained Huchet.
Expanding Access to Personalized Prosthetics
Amputees often face limited access to personalized prosthetics due to restrictive healthcare reimbursement policies, as well as a lack of affordable, specialized assistive devices for daily life and leisure activities. To address these challenges, My Human Kit utilizes Sculpteo’s Multi Jet Fusion technology to produce prosthetics made from Nylon PA12, customized to fit individual body shapes, usage requirements, and aesthetic preferences.
A notable example is Baptiste, a young amputee who discovered the Bionicohand at a disability and robotics competition. Thanks to a collaborative effort involving prosthetists, designers, researchers, and Sculpteo, Baptiste now uses a custom-designed prosthesis that allows him to switch hands without disconnecting wires.
My Human Kit: Advancing Custom Orthoses, Prosthetics, and Mobility Solutions
My Human Kit stressed it is committed to advancing the development of orthoses and prosthetics tailored for specialized applications, particularly in sports such as swimming and cycling, where custom equipment is essential.
The organization is also collaborating with the Edulab fablab at Rennes 2 University on the “Don de main” project—an initiative meaning both “Gift of a Hand” and “Hand Donation.” This project invites participants to 3D scan their hands to create an open-source library of 3D printable hand models, delivering prosthetic solutions that are both aesthetically refined and customizable to individual body shapes and identities.
In the mobility sector, My Human Kit supports wheelchair customization by enabling users to personalize their equipment with features tailored to their specific needs.
Through the Notaboo project, My Human Kit has also partnered with Sculpteo to enhance the design and manufacturing of the nozzle for a mobile Japanese-style toilet system. Originally produced via FDM 3D printing, the nozzle experienced leakage due to weak inter-layer adhesion. Leveraging Sculpteo’s expertise in Stereolithography (SLA) resin printing, the team successfully eliminated micro-leaks and improved watertightness by redesigning the threading and integrating a silicone seal—resulting in a more durable and reliable product that aligns with Notaboo’s mission to promote user autonomy.
Advances in 3D Prosthetics
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), developed a prosthetic hand designed to mimic the human touch. Led by JHU biomedical engineering professor Nitish Thakor, and biomedical engineer Sriramana Sankar, this development is expected to improve prosthetic solutions for individuals with hand loss and refine how robotic arms interact with physical environments. The work was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through the Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Meanwhile, prosthetic 3D printing firm Open Bionics delivered its advanced Hero Arm prostheses to a medical facility in Germany, aiding Ukrainian soldiers injured by landmine explosions. Equipped with forearm-activated sensors, the Hero Arm allowed precise control over its movable thumb and fingers, providing significantly better grasping capability than traditional prosthetics. One of the recipients, Vitalii Ivashchuk, described feeling pleasantly surprised by how functional and natural the prosthesis felt, noting it exceeded his expectations. Coordinated by Ukraine’s Superhumans Foundation with support from Mastercard, this initiative aimed to expand prosthetic and rehabilitation services in Ukraine.
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Featured image shows My Human Kit Bionicohand. Photo via My HumanKit.
