Korean Scientists Develop Prosthetic Hand That Can Be 3D Printed And Assembled In Minutes
  • 5 months ago
Seoul National University researchers have developed 3D-printed prosthetic hand (ST3P hand) that can be printed in just one step. Their invention, the ST3P handmakes is designed as a monolithic structure with nine finger joints. It weighs under 255g and costs under $500. Assembly time is about 10 minutes - which is 10 times less than typical open source 3D printed prostheses. The researchers believe single-step 3D printing, which can manufacture complicated designs without assembly, has the potential to completely change our design perspective. Existing 3D printing solutions are challenged by precision limitations, and cannot directly produce tightly mated moving surfaces. The hand can perform basic hand tasks of activities of daily living by providing a pulling force of 48 Newtons (N) and grasp strength of 20 N.