A BIT ABOUT PROSTHETICS
...and Myo-Electric
Myo-Electric devices are the "Bionic Hands" everyone finds amazing and cool. While the development of such technology is amazing it was specifically designed for soldiers (men, solely) returning from war as amputees, paid for through DARPA contracts. Because the human hand is the most mechanically complex part of the body it is incredibly difficult and expensive to replicate the many independent functions within the frame of an actual hand size. These prosthetics are severely limited in function, are heavy, bulky, have a shelf life of 3-5 years, incredibly expensive and rarely, if ever, covered by insurance.
These options are not effectively meeting the needs of women
While many of us are incredibly grateful for all that our prostheticists have done for us, I have yet to meet an amputee (women and children, specifically) that didn't dream of more fashionable ways to address their prosthetic wishes.
Traditional, commercially available prosthetics come in a variety of forms. The two most common are: Manual
Manual (think of the metal two pronged "hook" that is strapped to the upper body to function. While these prosthetics are quite rugged and can provide much needed opposing force for certain gross motor skill functions, they are often and unfairly perceived as ugly and judged by society as "less than." The body straps often cause severe irritation and skin trauma to its user and are bulky with which to use all day long. These prosthetics can come in the form of a realistic human hand - again... there is an interesting but well known "creep factor" society struggles with for some strange reason.
DID YOU KNOW?
Results of various studies showed that the main reasons for discontinuing the use of traditional prosthetics were discomfort (discomfort in wear, weight, and difficulty of detachment) and complaints regarding design and function.
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Young women particularly tend to prefer an esthetic cosmesis rather than a prosthetic with excellent function, indicating that design and ease of wear are the most important factors in selecting and wearing a prosthesis.
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This is where 3D Printing and other fast manufacturing technologies come in.
BUT 3D PRINTED PROSTHETICS ALREADY EXIST
Well, not really. Again, women are rarely a design consideration
Many upper limb amputees only wear prosthetics for psycho/social reasons, not for function
Current 3D printed prosthetics are not easily accesible
While there has been large interest in 3D Printed prosthetic design, to date the very few designs that do exist are solely fit for men or children and focus solely on function. Despite these efforts, none are fit specifically to a woman's limb shape and size. Women do make up a minority of upper limb amputees but we are the fastest growing market in that category. Prosthetics have not caught up.
While these designs make a huge psychological impact on the quality of life for many tiny amputees, it does not serve women and there are no efforts that focus solely on form. The few 3D printed prosthetics available are not visually, psyco/socially or professionally appropriate for the needs of women. If it's not attractive, it does not serve the standards society visually demands of us. This affects self esteem, social acceptance and even professional outcomes!
The super cool designs found online are either one-off ideas or portfolio builders that were never made available to the public. Many that do exist for purchase focus on function primarily and require access to a prostheticist to properly fit. Accesibility is an ongoing problem.