Software to build this $50 hand on a 3-D printer are available from the nonprofit Enabling The Future.
Courtesy of Dr. Albert Chi
Jude Rochon, 6, is at Oregon Health & Science University Thursday to be fitted with a prosthetic hand. But rather than spending $50,000 for it, the hand was made with a 3-D printer and cost about $50.
The trouble with spending a lot of money on a prosthetic hand for a child is that they will outgrow it.
Trauma surgeon Dr. Albert Chi says he downloaded free software for the cheaper, 3-D printed hand from the nonprofit Enabling The Future.
The hand should allow Rochon to do several basic things: “To hold a fork, be able to cut his food, to take a drink from a cup freely without having to strain," Chi said.
"Not only that, [but also] to do some fun activities. We’re going to ride a scooter, which he’s never been able to do, and maybe even work on tying his shoe."
The hand is attached to Rochon’s shoulder, so that when he moves forward, his hand can grasp an object.