Social Hardware, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, is testing a durable, battery-operated, user-repairable prosthetic hand for people from low-income and rural communities in India. The startup aims to make its prostheses to the same standards as imported devices, which can cost over six times the average monthly income of a rural Indian family and are unsuitable for the tasks of rural life. Rural areas are home to more than 70 percent of India’s population.
The Association of People with Disability (APD), an Indian nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities in poor and marginalized rural communities, has partnered with Social Hardware to provide the prostheses, which will be made with locally manufactured parts. Social Hardware and APD have developed a two-step rehabilitation program designed to ensure that people who need the prostheses have the required muscle strength and coordination to effectively use the hands before receiving them. The program is expected to take 60 days, and those that successfully complete it will be fitted with the prosthesis at no cost. It is expected to have a retail cost of 16,000 rupees (about $234) per hand unit.
“Our goal is the localization of medical device production. We believe this is the only long-term and sustainable means to support and empower medically underserved communities around the world,” said Abhit Kumar, who cofounded Social Hardware with Cameron Norris.
The company has produced a silicone rubber looks-like prototype and several iterations of their 3D-printed works-like prototype. The prototypes have been tested by people with amputations and examined at partner rehabilitation centers across India.
The prosthesis will also be tested by a third party to ensure it can survive conditions such as hard falls, dirt and dust, extreme heat, certain kinds of radiation, and exposure to water required for sufficient personal hygiene, to meet the standards of Ingress Protection Rating 67. The prosthesis is constructed from antimicrobial silicone rubber, which can be safely washed using soapy water. Silicone rubber is also user-repairable using low-cost adhesives and it is heat resistant to 300°C (572°F), which will benefit its users who may cook using a traditional open fire.
Social Hardware’s next step is to conduct a broader pilot study with ten patients at three rehabilitation centers, while transitioning from a works-like prototype to an end product ready for mass production. Once they receive approval from their partner rehabilitation centers participating in the pilot study, the company will proceed to the clinical trials phase. Before obtaining clearance for medical use, the company plans to provide the prosthesis as a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education kit to hobbyists, students, colleges, and universities to gather feedback and raise additional funds. The STEM kit release is scheduled for September.
“We believe that innovations born through open collaboration and the free flow of information has the potential to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges, and India is the first country in the world to mandate corporate social responsibility; the rest of the world needs to catch up,” said Kumar.
