Yahoo – AFP,
July 21, 2017
Ram's new hand was manufactured on a 3D printer in Nepal's capital for just $30, an innovation that could be a game changer for many in the impoverished Himalayan country.
 |
| Leprosy sufferer Ram uses his new 3D printed prosthetic hand |
Ram's new hand was manufactured on a 3D printer in Nepal's capital for just $30, an innovation that could be a game changer for many in the impoverished Himalayan country.
Once a
farmer, Ram lost his hands and toes within a few years of contracting leprosy,
forcing the father-of-three to turn to begging in a desperate bid to feed his
family.
That's
where he was spotted by US-born Matthew Rockwell, the founder of Disaster Hack,
a non-profit technology startup that is making functional prosthetic hands for
those who couldn't otherwise afford them.
Disaster
Hack makes its money doing tech consulting and teaching people to code, while
running altruistic ventures on the side like teaching Nepalis IT skills and
manufacturing low-cost, basic prosthetics.
Rockwell --
who flits between Nepal and the US, where he is part of the tech team behind
the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert -- brought a 3D
printer to Kathmandu after a powerful earthquake struck the country in 2015.
Soon, he
began printing new hands for those in need: a girl who lost both limbs after
being electrocuted by hanging power lines, a construction worker whose hand was
crushed beyond repair.
 |
Disaster
Hack founder Matthew Rockwell (R) attaches a 3D printed prosthetic
hand to
leprosy sufferer Ram's arm in Kathmandu
|
"We've
only distributed to five so far but we have a list that keeps on growing,"
said Rockwell, sitting in a cramped office in Kathmandu, the 3D printer
whirling behind him.
Recycled
materials
Rockwell
only has the capacity to make hands at the moment -- a leg requires a more
heavy-duty printer -- but he has identified more than 7,000 people in Nepal who
could benefit from Disaster Hack's creations.
"A
traditional prosthesis costs anywhere between $1000 to $3000 to $5000,"
Rockwell explained.
"Now
we're able to produce prostheses for right around $30 so it (3D printing)
lowers the cost dramatically for a functional prosthesis."
Rockwell
hopes to bring down the cost even further by recycling plastic bottle tops to
make the wire that feeds the printer.
Nepal's
healthcare sector is chronically underfunded and ill-equipped but 3D printing
can reduce both the cost and time it takes to bring medical equipment to those
who need it most.
 |
Nepal's
healthcare sector is chronically underfunded and ill-equipped but 3D
printing
can reduce both the cost and time it takes to bring medical equipment
to those
who need it most
|
The 3D
printed hands being manufactured by Disaster Hack take nearly a full day to print,
and are comprised of roughly 20 different parts.
Rockwell
hopes the mostly volunteer-run project will sow the seeds for something bigger.
He has now
trained 20 prosthetists at hospitals in Nepal in 3D printing, and signed a deal
with Kathmandu's largest university to set up the country's first biomedical 3D
printing lab.
Meanwhile
for Ram, a new hand could mean a chance to give up begging.
"What
should I say, I have nothing to eat. If I stay here I make 100 rupees ($0.97),
50 rupees," he said from his daily spot on the corner of a busy
intersection.
He lifted
the new prosthetic hand, and as he slowly contracted the plastic fingers to
make a fist, a smile spread across his face.
No comments:
Post a Comment