Digging deep for digital digits

Crowd-sourcing has become quite popular method of raising capital for up and coming startups and the mHealth sector is no stranger to the concept, with a project recently having reached funds on Indiegogo for Dextrus: the open source robotic prosthetic hand.

The campaign reached its $64000 goal in just over a month with sponsors donating around an additional $8000 in excess.

The company has pledged to use the funds to create a viable prosthetic arm that can be sold for under $1000. It hopes to publish the designs of the prosthetic as an open-source project with no patents so that other companies can develop on it and further improve on the concept. Their focus also extends to the developing world where import taxes impose a significant cost burden on such devices.

Dextrus is currently already being used in its prototype form by Chef Liam Corbett, who lost his right arm as a complication of meningitis. Some of you may have already sampled food prepared by robot hands.

Source: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-open-hand-project-a-low-cost-robotic-hand