Two Pakistani engineers, Ovais Hussain Qureshi, and Anas Niaz, have been able to help over 30 disabled people to date with the development of a high-tech prosthetic arm for disabled people. The project, called Bioniks, began as a final-year project when they were mechatronics seniors at university. The pair decided to continue the work so they could ‘give the world a helping hand.’
Ovais said “Bioniks.org was aimed at making a name for ourselves in the world of bio-robotics. Now we are working on bionic-based lower limbs and exoskeletons.”
The artificial hand works because they “place sensors at locations in the body where the brain sends electric currents or signals to fingers, commanding them to move”. Meaning, when the signals are transmitted by the brain through thought to the limb, the fingers and hands of the robotic arm moves.
The making of the arm cost the engineers only $2,000, or 312,700 Rupees. Each arm is 3D printed, custom to each patient.
“A typical mechanical prosthetic arm weighs between one and two kilograms versus ours that measures around 500-600g. Plus, bionic arms are sort of plug-and-play and don’t require any surgery,” Qureshi explains.
They write on their website:
Bioniks is a name for the era of revolution in the field of healthcare where technology supports the cause in such an intuitive and simple way that the solutions produced are not only cost-effective but also highly trustable and understandable by the ones they are designed for.
There are several success stories told on the website as well. One man, Mr. Rashid who was born without the privileged of his right arm, said: “A thoroughly enjoyable experience was putting on my Bioniks arm!”
Here’s a video the success story in action:
Now they are working on bionic-based lower limbs and exoskeletons. As exoskeleton robots have already been made, the Pakistani team will be focusing precisely on the knee joint, one of the most complex mechanical systems within the human body and a critical player during gait.
