The world’s first clinical trial of 3D printed bionic hands for child amputees, backed by SBRI Healthcare, starts this week in Bristol. It has the potential to rapidly improve waiting times, and reduce the cost of traditional solutions.
Currently, the only prosthetic hands available to children on the NHS are hooks and cosmetics. It takes an amputee at least 12 weeks to receive a custom-fit prosthetic and can cost up to £80,000.
Using cutting-edge 3D printing technology, Open Bionics can build a bespoke hand in less than five days, and the cost can be reduced to about £5,000.
Earlier this year, the team at Open Bionics won a million-dollar prize at the AI and Robotics for Good Awards in Dubai. The global awards recognise the very best innovations in artificial intelligence and robotics.
The team have also won multiple awards for innovation and engineering including the James Dyson Award for Innovative Engineering and two Tech4Good awards. The company was recently named as one of the Top 50 Robotics Companies in the world to watch, alongside Google and Amazon.
Find out more about the clinical trial on the BBC News website