Open Bionics trial of 3D printed bionic hands for children begins in Bristol, UK this week and could result in NHS offering cheaper prosthetics.

It could be very soon that every child amputee can don a bionic arm in their favorite Disney character’s colors for a fraction of the current price. This result will be thanks to Open Bionics and 3D printing.

This week, a clinical trial of 3D printed bionic hands for children starts in Bristol. The trial is the world’s first and could result in children receiving bionic hands at a fraction of the regular cost of £60,000. Funding from the Small Business Research Initiatives scheme made the trial a reality.

3D printing plays a large part in the price decrease from £60,000 to a projected £5,000. This is thanks to the technology’s ability to offer amputees a custom fit at the same time as speeding production.

If the trial is successful, bionic hands for kids could soon be available on the NHS (the national healthcare system for the UK). The hands would also feature kids’ favorite Disney characters.

Open Bionics will be working with ten children for the trial. Founder, Samantha Payne, explained in an interview with All3DP:

“We went to Disney and told them we wanted to build real super hero hands for kids who don’t have them. They really loved the idea. That’s how it got started.”

Open Bionics Trial uses 3D Printing and Scanning

Currently, when it comes to bionic hands, designs are too expensive to receive on the NHS. Instead, they offer a simple prosthetic. Amputees can opt for a privately made hand, however, this is likely to cost around £60,000.

However, Open Bionics uses 3D printing and scanning to closely fit the design and develop prosthetics quickly.

“At the moment we’re using a 3D scanner as the central structure,” Payne explains: “Then from the occipital scan, we 3D print using Ultimaker and Witbox with Cheetah filament from Fenner Drive.”

By changing the materials which are used to make prosthesis, and also using 3D scanning and printing, Open Bionics are able to hugely bring down costs.

The trial is expected to last for six months. Want to find out more about Open Bionics? Read about their Deus Ex prosthetic, here.

Source: BBC