Currently, prosthetics are extremely expensive. Even with the revolution brought about by 3D-printing, electronics and various motors still raise the price of prosthetics to over $100. This project will utilize the recent discovery that coiled fishing lines can function as muscles when heated and cooled, to drop the price of prosthetics and enable prosthetics to be easily assembled at home without any special expertise. The prosthesis will be designed to connect to an arm right above the elbow joint.

In order to create this inexpensive prosthesis that can be easily assembled, the first step was designing the 3D model of the prosthesis. One of the great advantages conferred by using a 3D model to synthesize the prosthesis is that it is easily adjustable. People have differing circumstances and anatomies and employing a 3D model takes that into consideration. Testing the fishing lines and calibrating them was the next step. Using the procedure from the original paper from UT Dallas, the fishing line was coiled and turned into a muscle. The force generated by the fishing line was then measured and the placement of the fishing line muscles on the prosthesis optimized to maximize their effectiveness. Initially, the muscle synthesis did not work because a blow-dryer was used instead of a heat gun. However, after acquiring a heat gun, the muscles were

fully. Stress testing and making the prosthesis go through all the functional movements was the final step. The final test ensured the muscle could support weight while its muscles were contracted.

For future studies, researchers should experiment with metal coated sewing thread in order to be able to practically heat the fishing line up through electricity, rather than having to apply a heat gun to cause contraction. This prosthesis succeeded in being the first prototype to a very inexpensive alternative to current prostheses. The total cost of the materials needed for this prosthesis was slightly more than $5.