TAURUS 3D PROSTHETIC HAND PROJECT
Project successfully completed – by Jerry Ennett.
Taurus 3D – Prosthetic Hand Project
Project successfully completed – by Jerry Ennett
For the past few years Taurus 3D has been making functional prosthetic limbs for kids in Southwestern Ontario using 3D printing. 3D printing has the ability to create custom, functional prosthetic devices for $25. These devices are comparable to the less functional industry alternatives that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars.
In the Fall of 2017, Taurus 3D came to Amar Seva Sangam, situated in rural South India, to educate the medical professionals and clinicians on how to use 3D printing to provide inexpensive 3D printed prosthetics for their community. Amar Seva Sangam sees around 15 amputees per month and did not have the capabilities to provide these patients with prosthetic devices. Instead, these patients are referred to a clinic in Chennai which requires a multi day trip consisting over 20 hours of travel, hotel costs, etc. For many families, spending this time away from work and their family results in even more costs associated in obtaining a prosthetic device, especially in regards to those who are financially unstable.
However, Jerry Ennett from Taurus 3D printing, along with another engineer, visited the clinic to introduce a sustainable solution to this problem. They also launched a patient tracking program that will connect patients who need a device with trained professionals that can provide them with cost-effective 3D printed limbs. To ensure that this solution is sustainable they will be maintaining a long term relationship with the clinic and the patients using our 3D printed limbs. They will be compiling the information they gather from patient and clinic feedback so that anyone designing and printing these devices in the future can create the best devices possible. The goal is to create a sustainable distribution network for patients to receive technically advanced and affordable prosthetic limbs.
