ReHand grabs spotlight in Collegiate Inventors Competition

Eric Ronning has been named a finalist in the 2012 national Collegiate Inventors Competition. His invention, the ReHand, uses CT scanning and 3D printing technologies to replicate an amputee's lost hand.

An undergraduate mechanical engineering student with the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s College of Engineering, Ronning worked with the medical devices team at the Morgridge Institute for Research to develop the prosthetic ReHand. The hand provides improved functionality, better aesthetics and reduced costs compared to models now on the market. Thomas “Rock” Mackie, director of medical devices for the Morgridge Institute, served as adviser to the undergraduate Ronning for the project.

The national Collegiate Inventors Competition recognizes, rewards and encourages students to share their inventive ideas with the world. Introduced in 1990, the competition promotes innovation in science, engineering, technology and other creative endeavors and provides a window on the technologies that will benefit society in the future. Operated by Invent Now, the Collegiate Inventors Competition is sponsored by the Abbott Fund, the Kauffman Foundation and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.