Plastic+Bottle+Prosthetics

Plastic Bottle Prosthetics Open Source Prosthetic | How It Works | About | Design Process | Molding The Attachment | Team | Leave Your Feedback | Resources and Links Problem Statement In the developing world many people suffer from loss of a limb, especially in war torn countries where land mind explosions are common. To restore normal function to these people, prosthesis are made. A prosthetic replacement is needed about every 6-12 months for children and 3-5 years for adults. Our goal is to develop a cheaper and easier method of fabricating a prosthetic arm. The ideal design will use widely available materials such as plastic water bottles and allow for custom fitting and adaptation to the needs of each patient. Currently we are experimenting with simple techniques to reshape PET water bottles.

Background It's estimated that there are approximately 10 million amputees worldwide. Thirty percent of these amputees are arm amputees and 2.4 million of them are in developing countries. Furthermore, fifty-nine percent of this 2.4 million are lower arm amputees. Providing an estimate of about 1.4 million lower arm amputees in developing countries.

Current Technology The [|Center for International Rehabilitation] developed these prosthesis for the American Midwest. They use plastic bottles, pvc pipe and hose clamps to create cheap custom fit prosthesis that can support about 10 pounds. We seek to improve their process and investigate expand the knowledge base to increase the ease of application for users.

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