Paging Dr. MacGyver, The Latest in the World of DIY Medical Devices

Journalist Julian Smith explores the world of DIY medical devices in the article “Paging Dr. MacGyver” from The Magazine. Among the devices he describes—Robohand, the open source prosthetic hand we wrote about back in 2013.

The maker movement’s tools are being turned to creating innovative and affordable medical equipment including prosthetics, heading aids, epinephrine injectors, and more. The combination of inexpensive or free CAD software coupled with 3D printers, openly shared designs and instructions, Arduino controllers, and the like has spurred hand-crafted production in and for the developing market, which is being encouraged by nonprofit and academic groups. Issues with safety and liability are coming to the front, but the potential is that hundreds of millions of people could benefit from lower-cost and more innovative medical devices.

photo via The Magazine

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips