Robotics technology has had plenty of false starts throughout the years. It seemed like, decades back, we were getting close to having true robots bounding about our living rooms and commenting on our outfits. That hasn’t come to pass. As a matter of fact, the closest thing we have to that is the vacuuming pseudo-bot Roomba. However, that doesn’t stop the triers from trying. On that note, here is a fantastically cool robotic hand that is not only 3D-printed but also acts as a prosthetic device for patients to enjoy the gift of touch once again.
It’s called the Dextrus and it comes to us thanks to something called the Open Hand Project. This organization seeks to make prosthetic hands more accessibly to amputees. It’s quite a lofty goal and it looks like the Dextrus is a wondrous fruit of their labor. Not only is this thing created via 3D printer, thus cutting down on production costs, but it also filled to the brim with electric motors and steel cables. It can lift anything a real hand can lift. This makes it the perfect device not only for amputees but also for researchers who don’t want to risk handling risky materials or the robot-maker who is looking for that perfect appendage to finish off their opus.
Of course, something this cool isn’t lounging on any store shelves. The creators of the hand need your help to finish funding. They’ve taken to popular crowdfunding site Indiegogo to make this happen. If you kick in a whole lot, around $700, you can have your very own robotic hand when these start shipping in April, 2014. Here is a video of this amazing technology in action.
