Carpenter who lost four fingers in saw accident invents 3D printed hand that costs just £65 and has transformed the lives of more than 100 children



Richard Van As worked with designer Ivan Owen to create the Robohand

They are now making hands for people unable to afford normal prostheses

They hope people will eventually be able to download the hand from a website so it can be printed anywhere in the world



A South African carpenter who lost four of his fingers in a circular saw accident has invented a prosthetic hand which is made using a 3D printer.



Richard Van As, and his U.S. design partner Ivan Owen, are now making hands for people unable to afford normal prosthetic limbs.



In particular, they have helped young children with a condition called amniotic band syndrome which causes them to be born with a malformed hand.



Richard Van As, who lost four of his fingers in a circular saw accident in 2011, has invented a cheap prosthetic hand which is made using a 3D printer

They hope the hand will eventually be downloaded from Mr Van As’ website so people anywhere in the world can make it with the use of 3D printing.



Mr Van As lost the fingers on his right hand in 2011 but was determined to continue his work as a carpenter.



He said: ‘I had two problems. One, finding something that's functional for a tradesman for instance, and second, finding something that was within the reach of normal people - prosthetic limbs are ridiculously expensive.’

In trying to overcome these problems he created Robohand which can be printed, assembled and fitted anywhere in the world.



It came about after Mr Van As got in contact with Mr Owen who had made a mechanical hand prop and posted footage of it in action on YouTube.



They tinkered and brain-stormed and after many emails, photos, drawings, and Skype-sessions, they created their most promising prototype.



Richard Van As, and his U.S. design partner Ivan Owen, are now making hands (pictured) for people unable to afford normal prosthetic limbs

They hope the hand will eventually be downloaded from Mr Van As' website so people anywhere in the world can make it with the use of 3D printing (pictured)

Initially it was called Robofinger and allowed Mr Van As to use the stumps of his lost digits to operate a claw like device.



During the refinement of the Robofinger, he and Mr Owen were given two 3D printers to use for prototyping and manufacturing of small parts.



With these two printers in their possession their focus turned towards the creation of Robohand.



The first person to benefit from a new Robohand, made mainly from plastic, was a five-year-old boy called Liam with amniotic band.



Robohand, which costs about £65, can be printed, assembled and fitted anywhere in the world. Picture shows Mr Van As holding some of the 3D printed parts

Once the 3D printer has produced the parts for the hand, Mr Van As is able to assemble them (pictured)

Liam, who lives in South Africa, had no useable fingers but could bend his wrist.



Based on this motion, Mr Van As was able to build him a hand capable of grasping.



The only thing that cannot be copied is a tendon.



To solve this problem, the pair created a bungee to return the finger and then a cable to pull it.



Mr Van As says he has now made well over a hundred hands for people who do not have the funds to buy a conventional prosthetic.

The first person to benefit from a new Robohand, made mainly from plastic, was a five-year-old South African boy called Liam (pictured) who has a deformed hand

Liam had no useable fingers but could bend his wrist. Based on this motion, Mr Van As was able to build him a hand capable of grasping

He is currently in the process of setting up a non-profit organisation to make it easier to accept funds to build new hands.



He explained there are people all over the world interested in being taught how to make and fit them.



He said: ‘Hopefully the idea is you teach one, and then the next one gets taught, and further, and it will spread by itself.’



He said fitting children with Robohand was one of the most inspiring applications of this technology.



Mr Van As (pictured working on the design) is currently in the process of setting up a non-profit organisation to make it easier to accept funds to build new hands

He explained that when they go to school they are the coolest kids in the school.



He said: ‘Kids can be cruel, and they were teased before because they had a shortcoming in the hand, and now that they've got this Robohand thing, they're like the best thing, everybody wants to be their mate now.

‘There's a child in the U.S. with a standard myoelectric hand that cost £37,600 and the child won't wear it because there are braces and harnesses, you can't get it wet.



He asked: ‘How many hands could I have done for £37,600?’

