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Comment by zoklet-enjoyer | Hacker News Reader

She's been showing this off for years but hasn't released it as a product or open sourced it or anything. I messaged her a couple years ago on IG and asked if I could buy one and I think her reply was something like it would be available when she's ready. I think someone will have to copy it for it to be available to the masses.

Link to Dani Clode's website https://www.daniclodedesign.com/thethirdthumb

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As someone missing a thumb, I messaged her asking to buy one as well to try and see if it could be assistive. Never got a reply, so I emailed the researchers she worked with, and they said that she holds all rights to the design so they are unable to provide me even with plans to build my own, and I would have to get her permission/access to it.

Overall it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. It's been like 7+ years since it was first advertised by her and still nothing but PR and no attempt to interact with anyone who might NEED one, let alone those who WANT one.

It is not at all uncommon for researchers to be unwilling/unable to take their work beyond the research lab.

In the world of academia, it is citations and papers that academics want. You won't get extra citations just because you can buy it on amazon.

This is the kind of project that could be prototyped by a mechanical engineering student in a few weeks. If you want it really badly, just find a mech eng student who wants a summer job.

I'd pitch in if we crowdfund it

Might be worth having a chat with Ian Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YQ8dGOiDk8

I watched some of his other videos too and the articulation and grip strength is amazing. He's also modded a compound bow and a drill to use with his partially amputated hand and created a golf club for a man with 2 partially amputated arms. I've never seen anything like this.

In fairness, that looks more like a research tool than a product in development… so not really aimed at mass production

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