My try at: The Open Hand Project

[Batteau62]

Probably bit off more than I can chew. The good thing is, it has never stopped me before. I'm intrigued by this project, so I thought I'd give it a try. If your interested you can find it here:
http://www.openhandproject.org/index.php
Here is a pic of all the printed parts.

I'll try to keep a build log as I go. I would be very interested to hear from others who have built this or similar. I've learned quite a bit already, but it's always awesome to hear from this community. My ultimate goal is to get a usable prosthetic that can be donated to someone.

[teoman]

I am currently printing that at the moment


I will modify the motors at some point.

[Batteau62]

I am currently printing that at the moment


I will modify the motors at some point.

Very cool! I was looking at getting these to start, then upgrading if things go well.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/181481954235?lpid=82

[teoman]

How many parts did you print at once?

[Batteau62]

How many parts did you print at once?

I did multiples of the spool, the tensioners, and the finger joints. I also printed some with "coarse support" (KISSlicer) the finger motor brackets, the thumb cover and servo bracket. Everything else was one stl at a time.

[geneb]

I gotta hand it to you, that's pretty cool.

*coughs*

I'll see myself out.

g.

[Eaglezsoar]

I would wish you the best of luck printing the hand. This could be a Godsend to those who need it but cannot afford the
astronomical prices as they are now. I certainly wish that the 3D printer community could make these and get whatever
approval is necessary to use such a device.

[dtgriscom]

I gotta hand it to you, that's pretty cool.

Flight is futile; we know where you hang out.

[NETio]

I would wish you the best of luck printing the hand. This could be a Godsend to those who need it but cannot afford the
astronomical prices as they are now. I certainly wish that the 3D printer community could make these and get whatever
approval is necessary to use such a device.

My understanding is that such a device can be "gifted" to an amputee and it does not require any approval. You only need approval if you want to sell them. This is how the Enabling the Future movement (http://enablingthefuture.org) operates without any official approval, although the FDA has shown them support at conferences. The issue is one of those simple prostheses costs well under $50 to produce, which is a reasonable donation for many people, especially if the donation is split between multiple people by one supplying printed parts and another supplying hardware. In the case of this advanced prosthesis it is not really practical to adopt such a distribution strategy, but for testing it's certainly viable to allow an amputee to try prototypes. That's assuming my theory about FDA limitations is correct, electronic prostheses may have entirely different rules.