British enterprise, Open Bionics has won a million dollar award for their 3D printed bionic arm prosthesis. The team won the international category at the UAE Robotics for Good Awards in Dubai.
Open Bionics use 3D printers, such as the Ultimaker 3, and 3D scanning to create custom bespoke prosthesis for those in need. With 3D printing and associated technology they are able to provide a fast and cost-effective solution for amputees. The huge prize fund was given to the team as a reward for their impressive bionic arms and its exciting to think how they will use the money in the future.
Joel Gibbard from Open Bionics, said, “The money is going to be incredibly useful. It’s going to hospital certifications and providing these limbs to young patients.”
3D printing lends a hand
3D printing and prosthesis go hand-in-hand, sometimes literally, as the technology opens the door to create custom parts to fit specific requirements. Here at 3D Printing Industry, we are long-time fans of Open Bionics for their admirable work with the technology. They showcased their bionic arms for children last year in London. For that project they worked with Disney and Marvel to create arms that were reminiscent of a child’s favorite characters.
There is, also, more recreational use of 3D printing with Japanese company Exiii creating arms to use for virtual reality. Exiii are using additive manufacturing to create a product that enables the sense of virtual touch.
Future of Open Bionics
The Bionics team are still at the early stages of releasing their arms to a wider audience. However, this award should provide them with a significant boost in their plans.
They posted this on their Facebook page celebrating their award,
Team OB just won the Robotics for Good Award in Dubai. Over 1,600 technologies for good applied and after competing against the top 10 best assistive technologies the judges chose our bionic hands! Now we have the funding to push our hands through the final stages of medical testing and finally get them to everyone who needs one.
We look forward to seeing how they progress and congratulate them on this superb accomplishment.
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Featured image shows the team with their million dollar cheque. Photo via Open Bionics.
