Our Products
Our simple, fit-for-purpose and 100% free ‘products’ enable us to fit all amputations from the hand to the shoulder within minutes. They are lightweight, robust and easy to use.
Fast to fit – Our system eliminates the need for multiple visits to be fitted with a prosthesis. Traveling multiple times is not possible for most beneficiaries due to cost.
Lightweight – One of the main complaints from upper limb amputees in terms of prostheses is weight. Even some expensive, highly technical prostheses can simply be too heavy to wear and use effectively in the conditions experienced in many of the countries we deliver to. Our products are light.
Fit for Purpose – Our products are also extremely robust – and they need to be! They require no maintenance and also don’t get stolen and sold for parts. You can use them for all sorts of work and for going to church.
Custom Made for You
Every person gets a custom-made socket. This fits your residual limb – no matter if your amputation is at the wrist or at the shoulder. These are made from thermoplastic. We heat the plastic up and then mould it to you. It does not hurt!
No Electronics
The Hand Project does not provide electronic hands due to weight, durability ad cost. We beleive the solutions we provide are extremely fit-for-purpose for people in the the countries we serve.
The WHO has developed a set of criteria known as ASSURED to end-users to ensure that biomedical devices are applicable to developing countries.*
- Affordable,
- Sensitive,
- Specific,
- User-friendly,
- Rapid and robust,
- Equipment-free, and
- Deliverable
Our solutions fit this ASSURED criteria.
We provide 3 different ‘hands’ for you that screw on to your customised socket.
1. Mechanical Hand – for light work
2. KamTool – for heavy work
3. Cosmetic Hand – for going out
Mechanical Hand - for light work
This is a purely mechanical device that is operated using the remaining hand or, in the case of bilateral amputees, by the other stump, chin, thigh… whatever the wearer has at their disposal.
This mechanical hand enables the beneficiary to hold items – a spoon, cup, pen, broom, bicycle handlebar, etc. It makes your everyday life a little bit easier.
This device doesn’t really look like a hand so we encourage this to be used in environments where you are well-known (home, school, work).
A bi-lateral hyena victim eats for herself
for the first time in 4 years in Tanzania
KamTool - for heavy work
The KamTool was designed by our Uganda Hand Project, Kamanzi.
Cosmetic Hand - for going out
Because of the stigma that is attached to disability in many of the countries we operate in, wearing a device which doesn’t closely resemble a hand in public can be daunting.
To help overcome this stigma, we provide you with a 3D printed ‘cosmetic hand’ which you can wear while out in public.
These are non-functional (static) cosmetic hands which are extremely light and easy to wear.
We try to match these as close as possible in size to the your remaining hand. We can’t exactly match each beneficiary’s skin colour however, the colour we use is a good match to the majority of the beneficiaries and you can paint it to make it more realistic.
A young lady in Nepal looking smart and complete with a cosmetic hand
An ex-soldier in Uganda with his new cosmetic hand
Elbows
We provide a simple but effective mechanical elbow. This elbow is lockable in all positions. Again, we use our special thermoplastic to make individualised sockets.
Before & After Photos
Children
We also provide children sized forearms, elbows and hands. We also give children a prosthetic ‘toy’. Children without a hand, especially those born without a hand, often reject a prosthesis. By naming the prosthesis a ‘toy’, and encouraging them to play with their toy, the ‘scariness’ is taken away and they develop fine motor skills as well as muscle.
