Designing the 3D‐Printed prosthetic hand

Opening the first-ever Icograda conference in 1964, Britain’s Prince Philip noted, “Every day, designers of all kinds are becoming responsible for a greater proportion of the human environment. Almost everything we see and use that was not made by the Almighty has come from some designer’s drawing board.”

Case in point: 3D printing. It’s taking rapid prototyping to another level and igniting hope for many product designers working with a smallscale budget, production line, process, and team. All one needs is a 3D printer and CAD software that helps to create the computer 3D model before it is sent to the printer. Although there are still barriers to implementing this technology on a larger scale, many researchers have been motivated to explore its use in a variety of disciplines. One initiative is to design prosthetic devices that enable individuals with disabilities to live their lives with less effort and pain.

Design is contributing to this project through a holistic approach that involves design thinking, as well as innovations in the development process and materials used.