Galacta Hand

pinshape

Designed specifically for the pinshape space design competition, this unique hand design is tailored to help our astronauts in a big way. What does it do? The Galacta hand is designed to combat one of the biggest health issues astronauts face: muscle wastage. The Galacta hand is a brace that straps onto the back of your hand. On the back of the brace, there are tubes designed to be threaded with 2mm elastic cord. The cord is tied in a knot at the end of each finger and wrist joint. By pulling it tight and knotting, different levels of force can be applied on the brace. The idea behind this design is for an astronaut to wear the brace and whenever they close or open their hand, they are working against the force of the elastic. The brace sits on the back of the hand and is held down with very thin straps around the fingers and wrist. This allows astronauts to wear the brace throughout the day while they work or relax, exercising and maintaining their health. For example, when brushing their teeth, their clenched hand will be working against the elastic, helping to build up their muscles. Since hand dimensions vary per person, each brace would be custom-made for each astronaut by scanning their hand to ensure a perfect comfortable fit. (This design has been made to the dimensions of my hand, so it may not fit you if you are printing this!) If you can print this, please load up your photos, as I do not have a printer to do so myself. PRINTED BY BLACKBOXRC FlashForge Dreamer Business Edition Settings: - PLA 1.75mm - 0.18mm Layer Height - Nozzle 200deg - Bed 50deg - 3 perimeter lines - 30% Infill Instructions: Print out one of each part (18x Hinge Joints and 4x Palm Joint - Fingers). Cut 5 pieces of 2mm elastic to length just longer than needed, to run from the wrist to the tops of each finger. Tie elastic pieces in knots in individual holes in the wrist joint to prevent the elastic sliding through. Proceed to thread individual fingers onto the elastic. When it comes to tying the final knots at the end of each finger, lay the brace flat on a table and choose the tension you want and finish the knot. Place the brace over the back of your hand, and get a friend to comfortably tighten the straps.