Recently, at a Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) makeathon at Shenkar College of Engineering, Arts, and Design in Ramat Gan, Israeli students finally created the device that would make her dream a reality. TOM is a game-changing global humanitarian project dedicated to creating and distributing highly affordable inventions to help neglected populations. The Shenkar students built upon a low-cost modular open-source prosthesis device previously created by a group of TOM volunteers from Tel Aviv and then developed by a community of TOM volunteers in Singapore.

“In this case, students were able to manufacture a replacement and functional prosthesis that costs under $60, while a hand prosthesis costs between $5,000 and $50,000. It unlikely that any major company would be interested in creating affordable solutions for specific desires of amputees to be able to cook, paint or play the violin. But our approach allows small teams, like Shenkar students, to create such products. TOM is a formative personal and professional experience for them. in advance of entering their future profession,” said TOM Founder and President Gideon Grinstein.

TOM focuses on ‘neglected problems’ where an affordable market solution or government solutions are unlikely. An example of one of a neglected promblem is the desire for an amputee to play the violin, TOM’s model is based on crowdsourcing of volunteer talent who engage in ‘open innovation’ where products can be co-designed by multiple teams in different places to be made available to anyone in need. In its current initial phase, TOM already has 450 solutions in development helping thousands of people globally.

The PJ Prosthesis’ journey began in 2018 when TOM: Tel-Aviv community members came together to create a comfortable prosthesis for injured IDF veteran Noam Guez, who was looking for a device which would allow him to live independently by being able to cook and paint. Months later, TOM Singapore built on that device to allow Tan Whee Boon, a young man who lost both of his limbs due to flesh-eating bacteria, to be able use the toilet without assistance.

The PJ prosthesis anchors to the limb, while serving as a modular platform where various attachments or “function heads” can be connected in order to perform the needed function of the user. In Guez’s case, these were ‘function heads’ which allowed him to paint by plugging a paint brush and cook by using a knife or device to lift pots and pans. For Boon, who is a double-amputee, the device was adapted to allow him to disrobe and re-dress himself as well as clean himself after going to the bathroom in a sanitary manner.

Most recently, the Shenkar students, working with amputees who wanted to play music, again adapted the prosthesis to allow for Israelis, Yael (16) and Itamar (27) to play the violin and drums respectively. 

The next step in the PJ Prosthesis development is the preparation for global distribution. The plan calls for the design to be finalized and initially replicated for 15 additional users who will troubleshoot the device while serving as test-cases for partnerships with Veterans Administrations and groups helping those with physical disabilities in Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom.

“The mission of TOM is to connect those with neglected problems and those with the power to create highly affordable solutions for those challenged. The second part of that goal is for the original product to be able to be scaled for others in need throughout the world. Products like the PJ Prosthesis demonstrate the tremendous potential impact of our program, by illustrating how teams all over the world can collaborate in developing additional solutions based on the original PJ-Prosthesis,” said TOM CEO Edun Sela.