A mother reacts to seeing her child make a fist with his new 3D printed fingers for the first time at the first e-NABLE “Prosthetists Meets Printers” conference at Johns Hopkins – Sept. 2014.
[From article]
Fab Lab Hub, a nonprofit digital fabrication laboratory in Kendall Square, is manufacturing prosthetic hands for kids and adults in need using a three-dimensional printer.
The organization, which is one of more than 500 Fab Labs worldwide, prints e-Nable hand designs that are then distributed to folks for free through Enabling the Future, a global network of volunteers.
The prosthetic hands are not meant for fine-motor control, but rather for simple tasks like riding a bike, throwing a ball or picking up a water bottle, according to founder Sarah Boisvert.
[. . .]
The devices cannot hold more than a few pounds of weight, however, and the fingers do not move individually. The grip strength on most of the designs is not very strong and they cannot be used for playing on monkey bars or doing handstands, according to Enabling the Future’s website.
Fab Lab Hub will participate in a Hand-A-Thon, part of the FAB11 Fab Festival coordinated by City Awake, on Aug. 8 and 9 at Cambridge Innovation Center and Roxbury Innovation Center.
[. . .]
Local businesses will donate a discount on their products and services to whoever makes contributions, Boisvert said. To make donations, visit socialseam.org/fundraisers/129. To register to qualify for a free prosthetic hand, visit enablingthefuture.org. For details on the thank you party, visit socialseam.org/events/21.
To watch a video about Fab Lab Hub, visit socialseam.org/non_profits/228.
http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20150716/NEWS/150718052
Cambridge's Fab Lab Hub prints 3-D hands for those in need
By Sara Feijo
sfeijo (at) wickedlocal.com
Posted Jul. 16, 2015 at 8:23 AM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle
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