Arizona: 3D Printing Creates $100 Bionic Hand for Injured Veteran

A navy veteran from Arizona who lost three of his fingers in a DIY accident has had a new hand created thanks to a 3D printer.

Howard Kamarata, 57, had his fingers severed when his mitre saw snagged on a piece of wood at his home last October.

But before he had time to worry he was approached by industrial designer Casey Barrett who offered to make him a new bionic hand at the bargain price of $100 (£60).

"He said, 'Let's make you some fingers,'" Kamarata told the Republic. "My wife and I just smiled."

Barrett convinced Kamarata he could make him a cheap prosthetic hand by partly using a 3D printer, which he used to produce pieces for each missing finger.

He then put it together with a glove using fishing wire, pins and screws he bought at hardware store Home Depot.

Kamarata can now carry out normal daily activities such as picking up water bottles, dialling phones and carrying plates.

Barrett said: "A few months earlier, I'd seen a video online of someone who made a hand for a child."

Now Kamarata has teamed up with US military charity RecFX Foundation to raise money to help other people including veterans who have lost fingers by providing similar prosthetic gloves for free.

"That's my passion," he said.