Keywords: 3D printing uses, 3D printing impact
It was a normal day for the artist carpenter Richard Van who started working in his workshop cutting several wooden planks in preparation for his upcoming projects, and in the blink of an eye, he lost four fingers on his right hand in an unfortunate work accident. Richard tried to pull himself together and looked down, but his pupils dilated in extreme terror, and his worst nightmares became reality when he discovered that he had lost four fingers on his right hand.
Heroes' Motives
If most people were exposed to Richard's misfortune, they would feel that it was a disaster and the end of their work and the beginning of a journey of suffering and pain, but Richard, with his optimistic and ambitious spirit, frustration did not cross his mind and his only thought, while he was in the hospital, was "This is the greatest opportunity I have ever had to make new fingers for myself"!
Richard insisted on leaving the hospital immediately, and the doctors "reluctantly" agreed to his demands the next day. Richard did not even take a day to rest after arriving at his workshop and immediately began completing his work after facing the terrifying machine that had cut off his fingers just one day before.
Courage is The Key
Richard faced his fears with great courage and could operate the saw to finish his project on time and deliver it on time. This project was the biggest confidence booster for Richard and what convinced him that he would recover continue his career and fulfill his passion. With his strong spirit, Richard was able to reduce the pressure of his work and free up time in his day to focus on his project.
A new ambition has been launched!
Richard began his journey to find a way to replace his missing fingers, and of course, he turned to search engines that expanded his horizons to the suffering of other people like him. Richard did not lose hope and contacted hundreds of people and companies in a persistent attempt to find help for his ambitious project.
Finally, after a fruitless search that lasted six months, Richard found a savior for his dreams in a creative video in which the American Evan Owen displays a large, efficient mechanical hand that Owen made to showcase his design and engineering capabilities that were ahead of their time.
The inventor Evan Owen wearing one of his innovations 3D printed hand made of wood
Two Brains Are Better Than One
The shy Richard gathered his courage to send a message to the American Owen asking about the possibility of collaborating to make an efficient mechanical hand for a child he met from a charity that cares for children with congenital deformities in their limbs.
One of the initial sketches the two partners worked on for the mechanism of the prosthetic hand
Owen says, “I was always interested in mechanical weirdness, but I never imagined that my weird inventions could be used to help people.” Hesitantly, after reading Richard’s letter more than five times, Owen agreed to the collaboration that spanned two people on different continents and more than 16,000 kilometers away.
World Witnesses Project Progress
Richard & Owen's project witnessed global interest, as it lays the building blocks for a new world and possibilities for a neglected group in society. Thanks to 3D printing technology, the location where they added all their designs, they were able to improve their designs and develop them at an amazing speed with the help of engineers and artists from around the world.
At the beginning of 2013, the two partners launched the prototype of an efficient prosthetic hand. They made all its files available to the community so that anyone could make them using prosthetic arm design and so far, more than 100,000 people have carried these files.
From Carpentry to 3D Printing
From the beginning of the project, the two partners adopted many innovative methods and eventually settled on three-dimensional printing, which enabled them to share files between them and work to solve the challenges of making parties together.
The three-dimensional printing technology opened the door for them to help more people as it allows them to modify the prosthesis to adjust to each person at a small cost and does not exceed the cost of the full hand of an adult of two thousand dollars and prints within five hours, but it takes more than 10 hours to assemble its fine parts and mechanical components.
The first child was helped by the two partners to make an efficient 3D-printed arm cast in his daily life.
Today, the popularity of the robotic hand is growing rapidly, and 3D printing plays a crucial role in its success. At one point the waiting list for applications has reached eight months, and the Robohand charity serves anyone with a disability in their hands and empowers them with a safe and effective assistive device.
Conclusion
