Albeit gradually Pakistan is moving towards technology in all aspects of life and we will take what we can. Medicine Sciences are also evolving day by day, about a month ago Pakistan successfully managed to perform the first ever liver transplant and now Medical Professionals are working tooth and nail to make the lives of the amputees easy.
Recently the local media did a post on how a woman moved her hand for the first time after her accident; where once she had amputated fingers, the woman now has a new although slightly bulky prosthetic hand made out of synthetic material designed to her body measurements.
The patient’s new hand consists of no electrical elements, and holds the title of being Pakistan’s first 3D printed prosthetic.
How this came to be is an interesting story; a doctor called Hassan Zahid returning from Syria had an unexpected meeting with a 22 year old engineer Rabi Imran who happened to be his neighbor. As one thing led to another, the Dr. shared his experiences of witnessing children amputees and the toll on human life.
His concern for the critically injured people in the war and in Pakistan and the need for affordable prosthetics so the amputees can regain and have control over their lives, he suggested that with the advent of the 3D printing technology this could be done sooner than later. And with some deliberation, Rabi took to work and after that there was no looking back.
The engineer gathered a team and they took to various hospitals and medical institutes with his idea and how 3D-printed prosthetics could prove to be a breakthrough for Pakistan’s disabled community. Meanwhile, he dipped into e-NABLE, the global open source 3D printing community, to plan his process.
With the help of Asad Jabbar, the two entrepreneurs founded Grit 3D and got incubated at the Nest I/O technology incubator center. Working with an ambitious team, mentors, technical guidance and resources they needed. In order for them to have a successful case study which can turn their dream in to a reality they needed candidates who can test out their product and that are where this lady came in, who they found when they were working with a professor at DOW University of Health Sciences.
On April 12th, Grit 3D installed their first 3D printed prosthetic hand; allowing the woman to resume her daily life. The Grit 3D team has also planned an extensive rehabilitation for her so she can adapt to the newly acquired hand. The prosthetic doesn’t allow each individual finger to be moved but it is possible to do daily tasks with it.
With the cost of 3D printing falling day by day, the team hopes to work on more advanced prosthetics which can allow the amputee to move each finger using electronic signals linked to muscles. They also hope to explore the lower limb prosthetics soon.
There is no pricing model for the 3D prosthetics yet, but their aim is to bring the hospitals on board so that it is to be purchased and given to the patients for free. The startup with its mission: Providing reliable and affordable prosthetics to amputees; is in talks with hospitals across the country to familiarize them about their mission.
