3D printing could offer children bionic hands on the NHS

A clinical trial between the NHS and Bristol-based firm Open Bionics is hoping to change the way children can access prosthetic hands through the health service.

The trial sees 3D printed bionic hand specialists, Open Bionics, working with 10 children for six months. The trial aims to test the feasibility of using 3D printed bionic hands on children and young people.

Current options for prosthetic hands include hook-type limbs or simple open and close gripping prosthetics. Amputees can choose to go to private firms for more functional prosthetics but these can often cost as much as £60,000 making them too expensive for most. In comparison, the hands Open Bionics offer cost £5,000 and can be made in one day.

The lightweight designs by Open Bionics uses 3D printing to create the bionic hands which are custom built for the patient.

The hands are functional and use sensors that attach to the skin to detect users’ muscle movements. The muscle movement then correspond to the way hand functions.

If successful the technology could be rolled out across the NHS, giving young people access to better and more appealing prosthetics. The team will be able to apply for a £1 million grant which will enable the product to be offered at various NHS clinics.

To make the bionic hands more appealing for children, Open Bionics has agreed to a royalty-free agreement with Disney to base its prosthetics on popular Disney properties such as Iron Man, Frozen and Star Wars.

More so Open Bionics has created prosthetic hands that are based on video games such as Deus Ex and Metal Gear Solid. The company worked alongside avid videogame fan James young to create a custom-made 3D printed hand to perform a diverse range of grips.

Speaking about the project, Open Bionics’ co-founder Samantha Payne said: “The hand is a myoelectric prosthesis. This means EMG sensors read muscle activity beneath James' skin. This activity, which James' controls via muscle tension, signals to the hand which grip pattern to use. Essentially, James can tell the hand what to do by squeezing his shoulder muscles. Depending on how James is squeezing his shoulder muscles, he call tell the hand to perform five different programmed actions including opening and closing the fingers, pointing, and using a tripod grip. It is so exciting to see prosthetics like this come to life."