johanna gieseler designs 3D printed prosthetic for children

johanna gieseler designs 3D printed prosthetic for children
all images courtesy of johanna gieseler 

each year countless children undergo amputation procedures due to birth defects, disease, or other misfortunes. however, existing options are highly expensive–as reference, from US$3,000 to $30,000–and typically fail to meet demands of most young users, who are more worried about being able to ride their bike or pick up a pencil than having a bionic arm with five operational digits.

product development 

fortunately, in recent years, the significant development of 3D printing has opened doors that were previously closed; allowing for products such as a functional, rapid-manufactured child-specific prosthetic designed by german industrial designer johanna gieseler. the device(s)–made specifically for upper limb loss–are individually adaptable in form, appearance, and functionality permitting children to construct a limb specific to their needs–not what an algorithm or company concluded kids their age would require. the false-hand features a claw like form that helps in situations such as riding a bike, eating, or writing. the product will be presented at ventura lambrate during milan design week 2015.

a gripping mechanism allows children to more easily ride a bike, draw, or eat

each prostheses can be made to the exact measurements of a child

wooden prototype for gripping mechanism

several color concepts

designboom has received this project through its ‘DIY submissions’ feature, which welcomes readers to submit their own work for publication. see more designboom readers submissions here.