NOW PRINTED IN NAMIBIA PROSTHETICS Born out of necessity when South African Richard van As severed all the fingers on his right hand in a woodworking accident, the revolutionary Robohand is an award-winning invention that was nominated for the Rockefeller Innovators Award in 2013.
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he most remarkable part of this story is not simply that the Robohand allows people to regain their mobility, but that the inventor has made it available for anyone in the world to download off the Internet for free. So far, it’s been downloaded two million times. According to its description, Robohand provides “opensource, customised, anatomically driven mechanical devices to assist upper-limb different individuals�. But it goes even further than that: online designs and tutorials also show viewers how to build their own robotic hands. Manufactured using innovative 3D printing, these devices offer a more affordable alternative to standard prosthetics. In partnership with GadgetBoy 3D Solutions, the Robohand is now being manufactured using 3D printing technology in Swakopmund, Namibia. Should you or someone you love be in need of prosthetics, Robohand presents an opportunity to regain functionality and mobility without the excessive costs usually associated with prosthetics. Key to the process is that you are involved in the design and manufacture of your own prosthetic device, which according to Richard is an important part of the healing process after losing a limb. As for Richard, he has transformed his own loss into opportunities for millions.
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