exiii hackberry, an open sourced 3D printed bionic hand

exiii hackberry, an open sourced 3D printed bionic hand
all images courtesy of exii

japan GOOD DESIGN award: 3D printing is a technology that is constantly improving, but as time goes on, the groundbreaking advances fall to a level which allow for the adoption of it accessible to the masses. for one japanese company called exiii, the 3D printing landscape has helped them to create an electric hand called ‘hackberry’.  the name represents a vision to ‘hack’ at problems, and to grow branches that reach out to users. not only is it more functional than prosthetic hands from a ten years ago, but is also optainable at just a fraction of the price.

using a smartphone as its computer, and 3D printed parts for much of the hardware, the company recently declared that the bionic hand will be open sourced to speed up the development through cooperators from all over the world. exiii hopes that by making the blueprints and source code freely available, it will amass huge attention from developers, designers and artificial arm users, utlimately leading to faster leaps in innovation. 

much of the hardware is 3D printed

already the exiii ‘hackberry’ has an assortment of new features compared to its ancestor, the ‘handii’. it has a more flexible wrist that enables for more variable movements, a smaller palm to make it more appealing to women, and an increased compatibility to us an assortment of different camera batteries. all the open source files can be found on the exii github page, where anyone can find the 3D models, code and sensor data. this impressive 3D printed prosthetic hand costs less than $300 USD, and will become a very attractive option for people around in need.

the form of the socket has been improved to prevent malfunction due to interference with the sensor

the flexible wrist allows for more expressive movements

the exii hackberry uses camera batteries to ensure battery capacity as well as safety

hackberry can differentiate between grasping and picking actions depending on the object.

exii’s progress in the bionic arm industry

the exii hackberry is a winner of the 2015 japan GOOD DESIGN gold award, presented during tokyo designers week 2015.

the GOOD DESIGN award was founded in 1957 by the japanese ministry of international trade and industry and is hosted by the japan institute for design promotion. the ‘g mark’ emblem reflects comprehensive design values and principles that aim to enrich lives, industries and society. 

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