Controllable Third Thumb Lets Users Extend Their Natural Abilities

For her graduate work at the Royal College of Art, Dani Clode developed a wearable 3rd thumb that can assist its user with holding more things, squeezing lemons or play intricate chords on the guitar.

The Third Thumb is a motorized, manageable additional finger, developed for anybody who wishes to extend their natural capabilities.

A trainee of the school's product design masters, Clode developed the gadget as a method to challenge traditional concepts about prosthetics - typically considered gadgets just for individuals with specials needs.

"The origin of the word 'prosthesis' meant 'to add, put onto', so not to repair or change, however to extend," stated Clode. "The Third Thumb is influenced by this word origin, checking out human enhancement and intending to reframe prosthetics as extensions of the body."

"It is part tool, part experience, and part self-expression," she included. "It initiates a discussion about the meaning of 'capability'."

The Third Thumb is managed by the motion of the user's feet, through pressure sensing units embedded in their shoes.

Clode selected this technique of control to make use of existing connections in between our hands and feet, which we routinely use together when driving a vehicle, using a sewing device or playing the piano.

To replicate the vibrant series of motion supplied by our natural thumbs, Clode made the finger from a 3D-printed versatile plastic filament called Ninjaflex. 2 motors pull the finger in numerous instructions to make it flex at its 3 hinges.

A cover, likewise 3D-printed however from a more stiff resin, slips over the hand and wrist to hold the gadget in place. It is linked to the thumb through a cable system, which Clode refers to as resembling a bike brake.

She imagines utilizing 3D-printing in future models of the device, as it enables it to be personalized to fit various hand sizes.