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Royal College of Art graduate Dani Cloud is trying to change the general idea of prostheses with an unusual 3D-printed device that gives users superhuman abilities.
The prosthesis is called "The Third Thumb" or "Third thumb", and the device is intended not so much for rehabilitation as for augmentation - to improve grip and perform difficult tasks, up to playing the guitar. The required flexibility is achieved by printing the finger itself from the flexible Ninjaflex polymer.
The finger is set in motion with the help of rods and two servomotors fixed on the forearm, and, oddly enough, it is controlled by the feet - special pressure sensors are installed in the shoes and connected to the prosthesis via a Bluetooth interface. The housing for electronics and motors is also printed, but this time on a photopolymer printer from Formlabs.
As with any 3D printed design, the finger can be customized for size or aesthetic reasons. Dani's project will be supported by the £ 2,000 Helen Hamlin Award from King's College.
