News / Bristol Robotics Laboratory
Bristol team wins big with 3D robotic hand
A group of Bristol engineers have won $200,000 in an international competition to develop their project to create low-cost, 3D-printed prosthetic hands.
Team Open Bionics, based in Bristol Robotics Laboratory’s Technology Business Incubator, won second place at microchip giant Intel’s Make it Wearable Challenge.
Founder Joel Gibbard and colleague Sammy Payne pitched their design to a panel of judges in San Francisco earlier this week, and impressed judges with its high-tech capabilities and low cost.
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Paul Stacey at Intel said: “The work at Open Bionics is inspirational. At its best, technology can deliver extraordinary, life changing experiences. What can be more life changing than affordable, accessible prosthetics?”
Although 3D scanning and 3D printing a prosthetic socket has been done before, this is the first time anyone has used the technique to custom fit a 3D-printed robotic hand.
The socket, which fitted perfectly, took 40 hours to print. This is a dramatic reduction in time and cost for the prosthetics industry and Joel hopes to have an affordable robotic prosthetic on the market next year.
Gibbard, who particularly wants to develop smaller hands to assist young amputees, said: “It has been an awesome experience learning from business experts and the other teams. We’re far more customer focused now and the result is going to be a prosthetic that is perfectly suited to the needs of amputees.
“With the money we’ve now won we can complete the development of this device and get these hands on amputees.
“We totally believe this money will help to revolutionise the prosthetics industry with the use of 3D scanning and 3D printing technology.”
Teammate Sammy Payne added: “This competition has been incredible. It feels particularly great as a woman because of the five women who were finalists, two walked away as winners.
“Both teams that placed first and second were the only teams that had women pitching. I think this speaks a lot to the technology and business industry.”
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