Necessity is often the female parent of invention . After losing some of his fingers after a woodworking accident in the spring of 2011 , Richard Van As in Johannesburg , South Africa begin to research prosthetics . All of the available units that correspond his needs cost several thousand dollars , which was regrettably out of doors of his price range . Determined , he decide to develop an alternative prosthetic and shortly realizedhe would require helpin the endeavor .
Aftersearching on the cyberspace , Van As come in across American puppeteer Ivan Owen . Owen had crafted intricate marionette hands with finger’s breadth that could flex through small steel cable which acted like tendon . Van As approached Owen with his undertaking , and the two begin to join forces from opposite side of the Earth . They spend countless time of day netmail one another and verbalise on Skype , and Owen ultimately adjudicate to go to South Africa so they could stop the epitome together .
Before the unit was even finish , a mother approached them about helping her five - twelvemonth - old child who did not have fingers due to a birth defect known as amniotic band syndrome . This condition causes hempen band to envelop around figure or limb , cutting off circulation to the distal part . It is estimated that up to eighty percent of newborns who have been affected by this disorder have deformed fingers or hands , and fifty per centum also have other deformities such as a club foot or cleft palate . The two man did not hesitate and evidence the mother they would do everything they could to assist .
The first working prototype was crafted out of atomic number 13 and include slight cables which attached to the carpus , which was not completely unlike Owen ’s puppets . The new son could well flicker his wrist and see his new fingerbreadth crouch ; a whizz he had never recognize before .
Though Van As and Owen were very well-chosen about their achiever , they decided to take things one step further to see if the devices could be invent more expeditiously . Owen contacted the 3 - D printing party MakerBot looking for assistance , and the companionship was felicitous to obligate in the class of a free 3 - D printer . While their first aluminum hand take over a week to get just in good order , the printer can do it in 20 minutes .
They have help fit over 100 tyke with these gimmick and have never accepted payment , not even for the parts . Additionally , the plans for the devices have been made available online for free . Anyone who need a hand can have one for about $ 150 in parts . string the wires in the hands can be a bite tricky , so a new design is in the work . Materials for this design price only $ 5 and the piece of music will snarl together like LEGO brick .
