Mat Bowtell recognised by the Queen for his work to create free 3D printed hands and fingers

A Victorian credited with slowly revolutionising the prosthesis industry, after being left jobless in the wake of the Australian automotive industry collapse, has received a royal nod.

Melbourne-based engineer Mat Bowtell has been honoured by the Queen. Picture: Tony Gough

A Victorian credited with slowly revolutionising the prosthesis industry has received the royal nod.

Phillip Island engineer Mat Bowtell will today be recognised by Her Majesty The Queen as the only Australian recipient of the Commonwealth Points of Light award.

The program recognises his design and engineering efforts aimed at making life a little easier for people without use of their hands or fingers.

It comes the same week Mr Bowtell’s Free 3D Hands was also recognised as a registered charity.

Mr Bowtell was numbered among hundreds of automotive industry employees left jobless after the collapse of the Aussie industry but moving forward he was determined to put his engineering skills use in the broader community.

He began to further pursue his passion for design by creating functional hands and fingers using 3D printers.

The results have earned him acclaim across the world.

Rather than licence his designs for profit, Mr Bowtell made them freely available to download online to anybody with a 3D printer.

It means a traditional prosthetic finger, which can cost up to $6000, can be replaced with a ‘kinetic finger’ for less than $1.

So far his designs have been downloaded more than 3000 times, saving recipients an estimate $18 million.

Mat Bowtell is quietly revolutionising the prosthetics industry. Picture: Tony Gough

The Points of Light awards celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time.

The Queen recognised selected one volunteer from each of the 53 Commonwealth nations as part of the legacy of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London last year.

British High Commissioner to Australia Vicki Treadell is expected to present the certificate, signed by the Queen, at a special ceremony today.

“I am very honoured to receive this kind recognition from Her Majesty The Queen, giving me confidence and affirmation that Free 3D Hands is heading in the right direction,” Mr Bowtell said.

“I dream of a world where assistive devices are accessible to all people around the world. Through making all of our designs open-source, I am also hoping to encourage prosthetic and bionic developers to innovate and use smarter engineering to bring their costs down. I believe that as a society we have a fundamental responsibility to look after those who are less fortunate than ourselves.”

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The Commonwealth Points of Light is a continuation of a program of recognition first started in the US under President George H.W. Bush.

Ms Treadell said the award was fitting recognition for the contribution Mr Bowtell was making to society.

“He has used his knowledge as an engineer to harness new technology to help people and enable them to have a better life,” she said.

“Losing a limb is both traumatic and physically limiting.

“What Mat has done is therefore not just about restoring physical capacity, but restoring a sense of self that you are whole again with a new limb.