Homemade 3D-Printed Prosthetic Cost Just $100

Kamarata, a 57-year-old pipe fitter from Arizona, lost three fingers on his left hand last year to a miter saw while he was cutting wood for a home improvement project. Without those fingers, Kamarata thought his time as both a pipe fitter and home handyman were over. But within a few months, an industrial designer Kamarata met at church had designed and built a prosthetic appliance that gave him back the full use of his hand.

Prosthetic fingers can costs thousands of dollars, and each one has to be custom-fitted to the patient. Even with insurance, Kamarata couldn't afford to replace his missing fingers.

The designer, Casey Barrett, pulled together some prostheses designs he found align, produced the pieces on a 3D printer (at Graphic Design Services in Scottsdale), and used a glove, fishing wire, pins and screws to complete the device. It cost just $100, and Kamarata is now able to grasp and hold objects with his new fingers.

"I was able to hold things again," Kamarata told the Arizona Republic. "I could pick up a water bottle."

Once Kamarata was able to use his hand, Barrett connected him with a neighbor, Matt Augee, who happened to run a support organization for the families of active service members. The three men are now trying to raise money to provide similar devices to injured veterans.

The original prosthetic was fitted inside a glove, which got hot the longer Kamarata wore it. He has since been fitted with another iteration of the design, which uses a pad strapped to his hand with Velcro.

While not exactly a widespread phenomenon yet, 3D printing is enabling more people to create homemade prosthetics. A GE engineer was inspired to construct a bionic hand after encountering a man who was born without a hand. Plenty of other companies are also leveraging 3D printing to lower the cost of prostheses. You can read more about it here.

Source: Arizona Republic