The hand, printed in a flexible material, took just over 24 hours to print on a desktop Ultimaker 3D printer, and was programmed to perform six different actions.
The Phantom Limb project, commissioned by Metal Gear Solid makers Konami, is a collaboration of artists, makers, engineers, and roboticists that set out to fuse medical technology with the world of video games.
Open Bionics was approached by producer Sophie de Oliveira Barata of the Alternative Limb Project as robotics consultants to make the prosthetic hand, inspired by Metal Gear Solid, truly bionic.
This bionic limb of the future has been given to James Young, an avid amputee gamer who helped design the arm. You can see a video of James being interviewed about his new prosthesis here on our Facebook page.
The Phantom Limb bionic hand is a functional prosthesis that has been designed to match James' existing hand and programmed to perform diverse grip patterns.
The video (below) shows how James can control his 3D printed hand using his back muscles.
Su-Yina Farmer, European Communications Manager, at KONAMI said: “It has been fascinating and a pleasure to work with Open Bionics, on The Phantom Limb Project. Working in collaboration with alternative prosthetic artist Sophie De Oliveira Barata, KONAMI set out to create a bespoke prosthetic arm, inspired by the hugely popular video game series Metal Gear Solid, for gaming fan James Young.
Open Bionics were a great fit for the project, as they combined bionic technology with 3D printing – an increasingly accessible and adaptable technology, which enabled us the flexibility and scope to design a prosthetic arm that was uniquely functional for James, with a visual affinity to the Metal Gear Solid world. The Open Bionics team were keen to explore new ways of adapting their bionic hand technology to James and the project’s needs, resulting in a truly bespoke design.
We hope that James’ amazing bionic arm will help change perceptions of disability, as well as inspire people as to what can be done with technology and prosthetics, and we can’t wait to see what Open Bionics work on next.”