Can someone make me a bionic arm?

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117980116#Comment_117980116

It's a completely reasonable scenario to expect, I don't see what's ridiculous in the slightest.

There's a very good reason why prosthetic limbs cost what they do, and it's not all just profiteering by their manufacturers. I think it's borderline disingenuous, and giving false hope to the OP by boiling an incredibly complicated project down to "a small bit of soldering".

Even the most basic of sensors and indicator light contraptions need to be guided by medical advice, so as not to risk prolonging the OP's recovery. I might sound negative, but I have enough experience of people thinking they can hack together solutions to problems which have real consequences to both businesses and people.

As I said "you don't know what you don't know", and I squarely include myself in that. There is potential to make the OP's situation worse rather than better.

In fairness to denartha, who is well-meaning, the OP really just wants something very simple as a “practice device”, something denartha believes he may be able to help source or even help create and he is very good at electronic stuff.

As others have said, simplicity is the key, so it need not necessarily be elaborate. Something for OP to demonstrate to himself the potential within his muscle, and to develop It as much as possible ahead of radical surgery.

I just think a physio, who won’t charge more than about €70 per consultation, might be able to give one or two pointers as to what kind of thing to go for and above all what to avoid, to avoid disappointment.

it is entirely possible that eventually OP may come to achieve more than he imagined, hence my example of the Belfast pilot. During its existence, FLYBE, an airline with a perfect safety record had a policy of employing able pilots “with a disability”, and in my own days of hobby flying I personally knew a pilot who was without use of a limb. There’s a paraplegic ex military pilot in Britain who flies himself around in his Piper Cub with wheelchair in back. Many more examples. People with apparent limitations can potentially achieve a heck of a lot.

OP suffered what can only be described as a catastrophic life event; that’s enough cr@p in anyone’s life. People, with all the goodwill in the world, really need to go the full 9 yards to follow-through with any practical offers of help. My experience in life is that people have made many pledges that are not fulfilled and one can end up feeling seriously let down. Not good for the mental health.

pummice

there is a small company n cork that make limbs for doctors, maybe they could point you in the right direction?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117980655#Comment_117980655

I’m guessing the limbs you speak of here are ones to practice administering needles into etc. Such would not be suitable. They are available on Amazon etc.

pummice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117980767#Comment_117980767

kennedy prosthetic and orthodaedic. Maybe they could help or point you in the right direction

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117980809#Comment_117980809

This company?

https://www.findhealthclinics.com/IE/Cork/274000102685140/Kennedy-Prosthetic-%26-Orthopaedic-Footwear

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40236440.html

An interesting article from The Examiner about someone who was fundraising for an advanced bionic arm.

https://www.ottobock.ie/

Ottobock is the clinic mentioned in the article which supplies those devices.

A Gofundme route might be a way to go if OP considered it.

https://www.gofundme.com/en-ie

Came across an article possibly relating to OP’s, hopefully forthcoming surgery in Vienna. It’s quite technical, but interestingly elaborates on the electrode placement, nerves, rehabilitation. It demonstrates the complexity of the subject which requires a collaboration of medical, engineering & rehabilitation expertise. Therefore I think if a temporary practice device is to be created it would have to be at least guided by notes from a physiotherapist who would know what might be helpful and what would be a complete waste of time. There’s be some better basis to work from.

https://www.jhandtherapy.org/article/S0894-1130%2820%2930181-2/pdf

banie01

@Finnrocco

1st off sorry to read about your injury, but very inspired to see how you are approaching it.

I have a Wanhao D9 MK2 with a 400mm³ build volume. I'd be happy to place it at your disposal to print off any G-code or .STL you come up with?

Have a range of filament available too. There is no charge whatsoever, for time or materials. If I can help you out just drop me a PM.

I cant help with design, for 2 reasons. I'm crap at it 😉 and time is a pressure for me.

If you are in the Limerick area? I'd be happy to meet up and even have you over to manage your prints yourself.

If I can help? Drop me a PM and let's get to it.

CreadanLady

Can an MOD lock this thread. It is just rediculous.

We have an exasperated and desperate OP coming on here looking for someone to knock him up a "basic" prothetic limb as a nixer or pro-bono. And people are entertaining it by discussing it saying go here, go there, contact this crowd and that crowd and possibly getting his hopes up only to be disappointed. This is nonsese. Any engineer here worth their salt should not touch this or even get drawn into discussion on it. It is not ethical to entertain this sort of thing.

At the end of the day, a random stangers on an internet forum is not the place to be procuring DIY style medical devices or prosthetics.

THE OPS NEEDS TO DISCUSS THEIR TREATMENT WITH HIS GP AND WHATEVER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ARE TREATING HIM.

And I have come to the conclusion that if the OP were actually serious about it, they would be doing the above and not pissing about with strangers on a forum.

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CreadanLady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982816#Comment_117982816

If you are a professional engineer then you are on very thin ice if anything goes wrong. Check yourself before you wreck your career mate.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982931#Comment_117982931

I imagine he has, for some reason, fallen between two non-communicating medical teams, one in Dublin, the other in Vienna, and at the end of his tether. A neighbour suffered loss of the use of his arm many decades ago in an accident and has been living with it in a sling ever since. I suspect we are not yet great at offering orthopaedic solutions for such cases in this country, so in desperation the OP sought expertise abroad. Unfortunately teams in these scenarios sometimes have minimum cooperation, the exceptions having been transplants prior to Ireland offering most transplant surgeries here.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982816#Comment_117982816

Your offer, while well intentioned, is I'll advised to say the least. To be blunt, you are wholly unqualified to be offering a medical device to a stranger on the internet.

Are you prepared to assume full liability if the 3D printed arm , which you haven't designed, breaks while the OP is holding a cup of coffee next to a toddler?

Are you prepared to compensate the OP if the 3D printed arm, which you haven't designed, causes excessive pressure on a nerve and slows their recovery?

In my experience, the least experienced engineers tend to let their own ego get the better of them and believe that they can solve all of the worlds problems. The issue is that they don't even know what they don't know about a particular subject. The mode experienced engineers know when to stop and are brave enough to hand over to a professional in that specific area.

You can't just hack together a half solution to a serious medical problem.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117985916#Comment_117985916

Point out where I've offered medical advice or a device?

Further no design or engineering assistance was offered, indeed it was specifically excluded.

I offered to provide a printer for the OP to use, anything he prints or has printed is his call.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117985936#Comment_117985936

You're offering a tool to build a medical device. Like it or not, it's your responsibility to ensure that it has the capability to build to a the required specification (which we don't have).

I'm genuinely not trying to be a smart arse here. If you were to offer your printer to build a medical device, you are leaving yourself open to the consequences if it goes wrong.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117964152#Comment_117964152

I'm a medical device engineer and this is complete b*llox. Don't listen to him/her OP. Your job/reputation is only at stake if you are doing the task using company equipment or doing the work under the pretense that it is on the company's behalf.

Anything you do outside the 9-5 is none of anyone's business.

mickdw

Well to be fair, if a medical device professional did a nixer in producing a professional medical device that was defective, it is reasonable to hold them liable and they would be.

This is a different scenario.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117986203#Comment_117986203

That goes for anything though. If you got your car serviced by a lad down the road would you sue him if you crashed? If you got your neighbor to hang a mirror and fell smashed and cut your foot, would you sue your neighbor?

As someone said above, we're not medical professionals doing black market kidney transplants on the side.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058211260/can-someone-make-me-a-bionic-arm

I suggest getting in contact with your nearest university and ask them if a final year/masters engineering student would be interested in creating a bionic arm for the purposes of training as part of their final year project. This would be a great project for any engineering student.

Ryath

Is everybody missing the point he won't be wearing this arm? He still has his arm he just has no use of it. There's no danger of him dropping pots of hot water on babies with it! Unless someone is offering to perform the amputation too!

It's a training device for him to visually see a hand closing and opening and try and get some control of a particular muscle. He hasn't had use if his arm for several years, muscles are wasted and trying to contract a particular muscle when you can't use your hand would be very hard. The only parts connecting with your body I assume Fionn will be the electrodes stuck your on your arm where you still have some muscle function.

I am surprised though you haven't got more support through your GP and Hospitals here though.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117986276#Comment_117986276

As long as OP wouldn’t attempt to use it for anything other than as a nerve/muscle enervation practice device, but not to attempt anything potentially hazardous. If it’s a bionic arm fitted to his useless arm he would indeed be wearing it, though.

Seeing the device as part of you and operating would be part of the neuro-feedback as part of his training.

There is always the possibility of setting up an electrode on the appropriate nerve, as guided by a physio, operating a virtual arm on eg, a phone screen, maybe controlled by Bluetooth. That definitely would not be hazardous, if it were possible. Now there’s an app for someone to develop some time. 🧐