Students have Invented the Cheapest Arm Prosthetic Ever and it can even Play Rock Paper Scissors.

Losing a limb life altering is probably one of the worst things that can happen to anyone of us. It’s not necessarily because we lose a part of us, as it is more the fact that we lose our mobility, the ability to do the things we would normally do on a daily basis. The best solution, in this case, would be a prosthetics, which is meant to replace the missing limb and make a person whole again. But, as we know, prosthetics don’t come with a small price tag and the ones they do are not very practical. The arm prosthetics most people afford, for example, make your body look complete, but they are almost useless, as you can’t use them as you would use your hand.

Robotic hands, however, are a much better choice if one wants to regain the ability to perform chores like having two hands once again. But, this type of prosthetics is in a price range that can hardly be reached by most amputees. Such a prosthetic, with multi-grip properties, can have a starting price of £3,000, which is a considerable amount of money. Luckily, the students of a university in Manchester managed to come up with an incredible prosthetic meant to replace lost arms, which has a more than accessible production price. Created with the help of 3-D printing technology, the prosthetic requires the amount of just £307 to be made, which means that high-end prosthetics will soon be available to anyone that needs them.

Why is this solution so great? Well, just think about the fact that this robotic arm can move like a real arm from all points of view. Each finger and joint of the robotic arm are posable, which means that they can bend in a natural way, performing the movements of an arm with ease. Thus, for instance, it is not an impossible task to make a fist with the help of this prosthetics. Besides this, one can do pretty much any task he or she used to do before losing a limb, which is using a fork and knife when eating, drinking a cup of water, opening a door, and even using the mouse of a computer. Furthermore, with the help of this robotic arm, people can even enjoy the game of rock-paper-scissors. Yes, the prosthetics were made to be useful and practical, helping an amputee lead a normal life.

How does this robotic arm work? It is moved with the help of sensors placed on the amputee’s muscles. The prosthetic can also be paired with a mobile app so that it can be adjusted according to the preference of the user. Still, the signals coming from the arm’s muscles, as they contract and move, make the robotic arm to react as well, so it is extremely simple to be used. This way, playing the chosen strategy in rock-paper-scissors is going to be a piece of cake.