Exo Prosthetic Synthesis Essay

Since the Dark Ages, mankind has sought innovative solutions to a problem that has plagued them for centuries. Soldiers who were amputated and left handicapped from the horrors of war struggled to find a functional answer to their situation. Peg legs and hand hooks were one of the first developments in ancient prosthetics. However, they were unwieldy and difficult to hide. It was not until the early 1400’s that prosthetics were created with functionality and subtlety in mind. During this time in history, they were designed to mimic actual hands and limbs making it much easier to hide one’s handicap. Regardless, this advancement did not solve the problem of the prosthesis’ unwieldiness, nor did it allow the prosthesis to fully replicate the mechanical functions of the limb they were designed to replace.
The first solution is presented by industrial design student, William Root, in the form of the “Exo Prosthetic Leg”. This solution addresses the prohibitive cost of many modern prosthetics and desires to simplify the process of creating the prosthesis itself. In Root’s article “Exo Prosthetic Leg” on Behance he acknowledges that “high cost and displeasing appearance” of modern day prosthetics is a “result of [a] flawed process of producing them.” The limb is made from lightweight titanium and is created using modern day 3D printing technologies. The second solution, created by Steeper group, the “Bebionic” hand sacrifices affordability for functionality and utility. The product itself is sleek, lightweight and easy to use. Bebionic states on their website, that it comes with a variety of features ranging from “14 selectable grip patterns”, “auto grip”, and “durable construction.” The only drawback to the intuitiveness of the hand is the high cost itself which is easily offset by its numerous