Russian prosthetic fingers created using 3D printing

There is a very acute problem in Russia - the lack of functional prosthetic fingers. Existing solutions are non-functional and are purely cosmetic. But almost a year ago, the team at Can-Touch.ru (specialists in the field of industrial 3D printing) was inspired by the idea of ​​creating a functional children's prosthesis. The project was soon joined by engineers from WEAS Robotics (specialists in the field of robotics), and serious work began.

Under the cut the story of how to develop this prosthesis. Here is the text written in the first person directly by the project team members.
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First patient

Our first patient is Alexander, a resident of the city of Yaroslavl. As a result of the accident, he lost his fingers on both hands, but the wrist joints retained full functionality.

You can read a detailed report on how this prosthesis was created in the article Prosthetic brush with the help of 3D printing: our way from idea to implementation . It was difficult, but interesting, and not everything worked out the first time, his prosthesis still needs some work.



Girl Oksana

The second patient is a little girl Oksana. At the heart of the version of the prosthesis for her lay a model completely created by the designers and designers of the project.
It is worth noting that the fitting revealed design flaws, but also showed which of the solutions were successful. Now Oksana is mastering the second, improved modification of the prosthesis.
But the video with the installation of our third prosthesis ten Daniel from Saratov.



Where did it all come from

This video inspired the project team to create a prosthesis. South African cabinet maker Richard Van As has developed a mechanical prosthesis with functioning fingers that can be printed on a 3D printer. Van Aus has already made free prostheses for several children.
This topic is very interesting for them, I wanted to do something good and useful. The guys began to look for information about such practices in Russia and, unfortunately, did not find anything. Maybe we just could not find anything, and perhaps we really do not do it with us.

Prosthesis design and installation technology

Dentures are made using 3D printing, working on industrial 3D-printers. Such printers provide high precision printing, which guarantees high quality products. Another of the main advantages of 3D printing is that you can make an absolutely individual product in size, shape and design, and makes it indispensable in prosthetics.





The prosthesis works (carried by the grip) by bending the wrist joint. It compensates for the child's lack of fingers and allows you to lead a more fulfilling life.

The manufacture and installation of the prosthesis is as follows:

1. First, you need to remove the size of the child’s hand, further refine the model and send it to print.
2. Details of the prosthesis are printed on a 3D printer using SLS technology from biologically neutral plastic - polyamide (PA2200)
3. Next, the prosthesis is assembled on a special thermoplastic, which softens at a temperature of 80 degrees, cools and forms the framework of the prosthesis right on the arm.
4. After assembly, it remains only to adjust the tension of the traction cables and you can begin to master the prosthesis, which, of course, takes time.



The entire process of installing the prosthesis (from model preparation to the start of training) takes 5-6 days.
Separately, it is worth noting one feature of the project at the current stage. The design and prosthesis design is carried out remotely by various team members. In this regard, we have long been looking for opportunities for joint project management in the cloud environment and after meeting with representatives of Autodesk, they offered a solution. We entered into a partnership agreement with the CleanTech company, and we were granted several licenses for the Product Design Suite . The main advantage of cooperation with Autodesk for us is the very convenient remote work of all team members who use various software solutions (Inventor, 3ds Max, AutoCAD, etc.). Integration is carried out using the Autodesk Vault program, which significantly reduces the time for information exchange within the team.

Project support

An important task for the successful implementation of the project is the search for serious partners both in Russia and abroad. At the moment, the company's partners are: Institute of Prosthetics. G.A. Albrecht (St. Petersburg), Ingria Business Incubator (St. Petersburg), Organica Design Agency (Moscow, British Higher School of Design), ImpactHub network of international centers for social innovation.

Current tasks and look ahead

As noted above, we still have some flaws in the design. Here are the main tasks to be solved:

1. Development of a new mechanism for returning the brush to the standard position after bending.
2. Search for the optimal position of the thumb for the most convenient and functional gripper.
3. It is necessary to make more convenient fastening and adjustment of the tension of the cables.

Next, 5-6 prostheses will be printed for testing (each of these prostheses will be installed to an individual patient), the results of which will create a pre-market sample, which will have to be certified (the main requirement is that the prosthesis should work 1 million cycles).

We also began to develop an electromechanical prosthesis and have already made the first prototype. A check is being carried out on the collection of the entire electromechanical circuit and the first tests in conjunction with myo-sensors.





In general, the project development plan for the next year is as follows:

1. Revision of the design of the mechanical prosthetic fingers.
2. Finalization of the electromechanical prosthesis.
3. Certification and marketing of mechanical prosthetic fingers.
4. Certification and launch of an electromechanical prosthesis.
5. Development of a prototype of brachial exoskeleton for people with arthrogryposis disease and demonstration of a prototype at an international conference in Moscow.

We are open to cooperation

We will be glad to any advice, suggestions, information, necessary contacts, as well as the dissemination of this idea and repost. Together, we have already managed to make three samples. A path to the future has been laid, where many children and adults can get a similar prosthesis at affordable prices compared to what they have now. Like-minded people, we encourage you to dialogue and interaction. Leave your comments to the post, write messages to the email info@can-touch.ru. We will be glad to everyone who responded!