Date: 6 November 2017
MLA Citation:
Mroz, Jacqueline. “3-D Printing Prosthetic Hands That Are Anything but Ordinary.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Feb. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/science/hand-of-a-superhero.html.
Assessment:
As I do more research to see what my Original Work proposal might be I keep coming back to the idea of creating a cheaper prosthetic for children. Most of the high tech prosthetic limbs are very expensive and hard for many families to afford. I have always wanted to so something later in life that helps people in need. This project would allow me to do exactly that. By creating a cheaper version of some of the higher tech prosthetic limbs I will be able impact many kids who have a limit to what they can do because they do not have a prosthetic that can help them in their day to day life.
This article talks about a boy who was born without fingers on his left hand. His family could not afford the higher priced, and more technologically advanced, prosthetics which would make his life a lot easier to manage. His dad ended up 3D printing parts to make a hand for his son. This was a much cheaper option for their family and ended up starting a whole new way of looking at the design and manufacturing of a prosthetic limb. By making a cheaper option for prosthetic limbs, you are able to reach out and positively affect more people who need help.
After reading this article I can see why 3D printing a prosthetic limb can be a better option for children. Children do not need the most expensive prosthetic because they are constantly growing and do not have to do the all the functions that adults do. By making a limb that can adjust to the growth of the child and ultimately cheaper, you are going to be able to help a lot more people live a normal life. Like I said earlier, a child does not have to do all the daily tasks an adult has to do so making an arm that is able to open and close will help children with their daily tasks, such as grabbing or holding objects. My next question would be if it would just be easier if the child could adjust the fingers by themselves. It may be hard to picture, but if the child’s other hand can move the fingers it would make the prosthetic cheaper because it does not have the same high tech options that may be in the more expensive prosthetics. It may not be the most practical idea, but it gives the children an easy to use hand that can help in their everyday functions.
All in all, by making a prosthetic that can provide a cheaper options for families that can not afford the more expensive prosthetics I will be able to help more children. I feel that this could be a great option as I look for professionals to interview and conduct more research because I can find out for about how to make the limb and find out what could be improved on. The more I research about this idea I will have a better and more precise study for my Original Work, as in making a prototype of the product.