An example from the site - the open-source prosthetic Fishing Rod. I'm in awe.

The other day I stumbled across one of the coolest websites I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in a long time. It’s called “The Open Prosthetics Project” and it’s actually been around for while. The central premise of the site “…is an open source collaboration between users, designers and funders with the goal of making our creations available for anyone to use and build upon.”

Drawing from the open-source software movement, Jonathan Kuniholm started working on this as a way for small groups of people to create prosthetics for others while openly sharing the designs. As someone who has been exposed to the prosthetic world is whole life, this could be a game changer if it gains enough momentum. The benefits could be enormous for veterans, kids, or anyone else that might not have the cash flow to keep up with the latest and greatest prosthetics. The above photo is an example of one of the more simple designs featured on both OPP’s wiki page and ning account.

I really dig this site, and plan to be submitting a couple of ideas that I’ve been working on for while a now. If anyone out there is reading this, and has any interest in design, prosthetics, disability, or openly-sourced anything – you gotta check these guys out.

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