WATCH: Virginia Teen Developed a 3D-Printed, Accessible Prosthetics for Amputees
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Nearly 40 million people in the developing world need prosthetics, but only about 5% have access to them. Arav Bhargava, an 18-year-old senior at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, said that there are two main reasons for this: First, that prosthetics are prohibitively expensive; Second, that there is a significant barrier to access to professionals for fitting and maintenance.
“That really isn’t feasible in developing countries,” he said.
In response, Bhargava developed a universal fit, 3D-printed prosthetic for amputees missing their forearms in the form of a kit consisting of all necessary components.
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“Each amputee would be able to take a kit for themselves, and have a prosthetic for the rest of their lives,” he said.
The goal is to keep each kit under $40.
Bhargava plans to develop partnerships to further scale and distribute his kits for the roughly 40 million people in need.
