Commercial hand prostheses with articulating fingers have become quite advanced. These new devices in some cases have properties exceeding our human hands, for example, being able to rotate a screwdriver indefinitely in one direction. But with the technological complexity comes a financial cost, as these devices sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Joel Gibbard, an engineer in the UK, is working on a much cheaper solution that you can help turn into a real product.

Joel’s Open Hand Project aims to design a prosthetic that can be manufactured for around $1,000 thanks to 3D printing, cheap materials, and an open design model. While titanium is often used in commercial models, Joel’s Dextrus robotic hand is mostly made of tough plastic and steel components. Anyone would be able to download the specs and with the help of a 3D printer, and a few trips to the hardware store for steel cables, electric motors, and nuts and bolts, put together their own Dextrus. An inspired entrepreneur may even end up building them en masse.

On Indiegogo: The Open Hand Project: A Low Cost Robotic Hand…

(hat tip: TechCrunch)