Developers build a 3D-printed leg for amputees

21 May 2014

The Roboleg

In what appears to be a continuing trend towards a more cyborg-like future, a small company has produced a 3D-printed leg for the benefit of amputees.

Going under the name Robohand, the company has already produced other body parts in a similar fashion, including the Robofinger and Roboarm, both of which are also produced using the 3D-printing method which encompasses a variety of movable parts at a reasonably low cost.

So far with these two products, the company has changed the lives of 200 people and will now be looking to make further improvements with its Roboleg, the company revealed on its Facebook page.

Led by former carpenter Richard Van As, the company realised that in order for it to be successful, its products would need to be of a significantly improved design. Not only will Roboleg need to sustain weight from the human body, it will also have to accommodate different surfaces and environments that exist in the everyday world.

More importantly, once the final design and testing has been completed, the schematics and necessary requirements to build the leg will be posted online and will allow the person downloading this information to freely build the leg for themselves or someone else.

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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