Why we write about this topic:
Demand for hand prostheses in Ukraine has risen sharply since the war. Delft researcher Gerwin Smit designed a 3D-printed hand prosthesis that is affordable and easy to produce for under-budget countries, TU Delft says in a press release.
In India, this hand prosthesis is already being used. Indian technology company Vispala donated Smit’s 3D printed hand prostheses to war victims in Ukraine. With the help of a donation from the U.S. IT company Cisco, 350 hand prostheses could be handed over in Kiev.
Affordable
Engineer Gerwin Smit is a Biomechanical Engineer and the designer of the so-called 100-Dollar Hand, a hand prosthesis that is affordable and easy to produce using 3D printing and laser cutting. 80 percent of people who need hand prostheses live in under-budget countries. For these people, Smit’s reliable and functional artificial hand offers the solution.
Gerwin Smit: “I’m happy that we can contribute to this wonderful initiative. And I’m also hoping that, with help from the Movendi Foundation we can raise enough money to make another donation to Ukraine.”
Distributed in India
Last year, the social enterprise, Vispala made the Hundred Dollar Hand design ready for production and already, several hundred have been made and distributed around India since 2021.
Meanwhile, Gerwin Smit and his team are monitoring the use of these prosthetic hands and are gathering feedback to see how the design can be made even better.
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