‘CYBORG BEAST’ PROSTHETIC HAND COSTS ONLY $50

3D Printed Hand: Equal Access to Cheaper Prosthetics

Here’s a story to put a smile on your face. Jose Delgado Jr., 53 years old, has traded his $42,000 myoelectric prosthetic arm for a $50 3D printed hand. The $50 hand, nicknamed, the ‘Cyborg Beast’, is based on an open source design and was printed and fitted by Jeremy Simon. Simon, a self confessed ‘tinkerer’, works with e-NABLE, a web-based group who print prosthetic hands and digits for people all around the world – and they don’t charge a dime!

Delgado Jr., says his 3D printed hand is more practical than his myoelectric prosthesis for certain tasks such as picking up and gripping objects. Simon, his collaborator, stresses that comparisons between the two prostheses are not exactly on a like for like basis. But instead highlight the potential for cheaper, quickly assembled prostheses for people all over the world.