HACKberry is an open source, 3D-printed bionic hand

---

This 3D-printable bionic limb is controlled by a smartphone, powered by camera batteries and based on an Arduino. 

---

If you sit back and reflect over the past couple of years, it’s truly remarkable how far the world of prosthetics has come thanks to recent advancements in 3D printing and open hardware. These artificial limbs have transcended well beyond the heavy, plastic and metal pieces of yesteryear into lightweight, sci-fi-like accessories that can be easily constructed and controlled in ways never before imagined.

Aside from providing these body-adorned gadgets with futuristic capabilities, what makes the sleek and futuristic prosthetics even more appealing are their price tags — a fraction of the cost of its older and commercial counterparts. With aspirations of accelerating development and increasing accessibility, Japan-based startup exiii has developed an open source bionic hand that is built around an Arduino Micro (ATmega32U4) and myoelectric sensors, uses a smartphone as the brains of its operation and relies upon camera batteries for power. Named HACKberry, most of the device is comprised of 3D-printed components that can be taken apart and swapped out whenever necessary.

“HACKberry is a practical model for daily use created through the cooperation of actual users. Hackberries, which are a species of trees included in the elm family, grow many branches,” exiii writes. “Our goal is to develop an artificial arm that would become the platform upon which developers and artificial arm users from all over the world are able to build as they wish.
The name represents our vision to ‘hack’ at problems, grow branches of joy that reach out to users and enable their ideas and efforts to bear fruit (‘berries’).”

While its newest model may not be ready for sale yet, the limb only took $300 to create. The latest iteration boasts a number improvements compared to its more expensive (and not open source) sibling, the Handoii, which includes a more flexible wrist for various movements, a smaller palm to make it attractive for women to wear, and enhanced compatibility to an assortment of camera batteries. Impressively, what really sets HACKberry apart is that its ductile fingers that can even differentiate between grasping and picking up based on the object, whether that’s turning the page of a magazine, grabbing some nail polish or even tying one’s shoelaces.

Want to learn more? exiii has made all of its files available on GitHub page. This includes printing and source codes for software, as well as all the data for its hand, sensor and battery boards. In the meantime, you can see HACKberry in action below!

Wearable cap lets amputees grasp objects with their mind

---

Researchers at the University of Houston have built a brain-machine interface to control prosthetic hands.

---

When it comes to brain-controlled interfaces, advancements in the space have come a long way since its earliest days of research at UCLA in the 1970s. Under a grant from the National Science Foundation and followed by a contract from DARPA, the papers published following the study marked the first appearance of the expression BCI in scientific literature. Now fast forward nearly 40 years and scientists are inspiring a wide-range of possibilities, including enabling amputees to command robotic limbs with their mind.

That’s exactly what one team from the University of Houston has done. The researchers have developed an algorithm that allowed a man to grasp a bottle and other objects with a prosthetic hand, powered merely by his thoughts. Instead of implants, this non-invasive method uses a wearable EEG cap that monitors brain activity externally through the scalp. During the its demonstration, a 56-year-old man whose right hand had been amputated was successfully able to clutch selected items 80% of the time, which included a water bottle, a small coin, a credit card and even a screwdriver.

While the ability to command prosthetics through brainwaves has been around, earlier studies centered around either surgically implanted electrodes or myoelectric control, which relies upon electrical signals from muscles in the arm. Beyond demonstrating that prosthetic control is possible using non-invasive EEG, researchers said the study offers a new understanding of the neuroscience of grasping and will be applicable to rehabilitation for other types of injuries, including stroke and spinal cord injury.

Reportedly, the work marked the first time an amputee has been able to use EEG-based BMI control of a multi-fingered prosthetic hand to grab objects, and could potentially lead to the development of improved artificial limbs. Interested in learning more? The team’s findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience. You can also check out the study’s official page here.

Let’s Make the world a better place

It was 1974 when tech pioneer Ted Nelson first asked a nascent industry to hand over “computer power to the people.” A few years later, Commodore founder Jack Tramiel expressed similar sentiments, proclaiming that “we need to build computers for the masses, not the classes.”

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, empowering individuals and communities is a core value of the international Maker Movement. Makers, with an open source philosophy, affordable technology and “can do” attitude, are truly helping to make the world a better place.

Indeed, medical implants designed with 3D printers (long championed by Makers) are saving lives, while 3D printed prosthetics allow physicians to restore physical capabilities lost in accidents or at birth.

Makers are also active in agriculture to ensure an organic, green and sustainable food supply for us all. To be sure, Atmel-based Arduino boards are currently being used to facilitate a plethora of open source platforms tasked with regulating everything from urban-based aquaponics to rural greenhouses constructed out of recyclable materials.

Photo Credit: Scott Taylor, Sun Journal

In addition, Makers are at the forefront of reversing bee colony collapse disorder, with the Atmel-powered (ATmega32U4 MCU) Smart Citizen Kit (SCK) currently monitoring 3D-printed hives around the world.

Unsurprisingly, Makers looking to the future are designing open source home automation platforms to help individuals conserve water and reduce energy consumption by linking various “smart” appliances to the rapidly evolving Internet of Things.

Last, but certainly not least, open source Arduino boards used by Makers across the globe are an important tool for the STEM community (science, technology, education and mathematics), with science and computing teachers in secondary schools and universities choosing the popular platform to teach students the basic principles of programming and computational thinking.

We at Atmel are proud to be at the very heart of the Maker Movement, with microcontrollers that power a wide range of open source platforms and devices, from 3D printers to Arduino boards. For us, Maker Faire is one of the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth – a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, resourcefulness and a celebration of DIY culture. Simply put, it’s a place where people of all ages and backgrounds gather together to show what they are making and share what they are learning.

So be sure to drop by the Atmel booth (#205) at Maker Faire Bay Area on May 17th and 18th to meet our star-studded lineup of Makers and presenters, including Mel Li, Trevor Zylstra, Quin Etnyre, Pamungkas Prawisuda Sumasta, Super Awesome Sylvia, Matt Johnson, Bob Martin and Dan Ujvari.

Can’t make it to the Faire? You can follow @Atmel live on Twitter for event updates, or join the conversation by tweeting #AtmelMakes.