Losing an arm at the age of 18 can be a
devastating experience for anyone, but Nicolas Huchet faced adversity with a
fortitude that has seen him write his own success story today. Lively and
energetic, this Rennes, France resident is literally rewriting his fate with
his novel ‘Bionico Hand’. “I used to be a mechanic, but I always dreamt of
doing music. So after the accident, I went to study sound engineering in
Ireland, learnt English, travelled across South America and also learnt to play
the drums with a specialised adaptor on my stump,” he avers.
But Nicolas’ myoelectric prosthesis was
proving to be a hindrance to his new found purpose. “I wore a commercial
prosthesis which was heavy and a 70s model. Though I regained autonomy, its
functionality was limited,” recalls Nicolas whose quest for a poly-digital
prosthesis was thwarted by its astronomical price.
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A chance visit to FabLabs (a community
workshop that offers digital fabrication on a personal scale to build products)
in Rennes gave him hope. “I discovered FabLabs, 3D printers and open-source. I
worked with them and we discovered the InMoov robot on thinigiverse. It is
open-source robotics and took us about five months to do the first prototype.
The first design was by sculptor and model maker Gael Langevin. It’s a DIY
robotic hand that I cannot use as a prosthetic because it’s very fragile, but
the price is 200 euros compared to the 20,000 euros on the market,” reveals
Nicolas of his Bionico Hand.
Developed in 2013, the BionicoHand
Project has won awards at Maker Faire, Rome, San Francisco, New York and Paris
in 2014. Terming it as a work in progress, he is now working with a ten-member
team along with help from various universities, corporate and medical
fraternities around the world. “Our aim is to develop low cost prosthetics
particularly in France and developing countries. Education and social life is
another aspect to enable disabled people to understand their handicap and make
their own devices,” maintains Nicolas. The good news in India is FabLabs in
Pune, Ahmedabad and soon Mumbai will be making 3D printers available. While the
project presently focuses on hands only, he avers that the ultimate aim of
their association, My Human Kit, is to apply it to other disabilities as well.
“Turn your weakness into force. Force
does not come from muscles but from mutual assistance,” counsels this
determined gentleman as he prepares to present his innovation in Goa.
(A lecture on the Bionico Project by
Nicolas Huchet, followed by a Q&A at the Alliance Francaise, Panjim at
6.30pm today)
