3D Printing Technology Changes People's Lives

🌸3D printed artificial hands for disabled children🌸

British Charlie Egan was born without an arm below his right elbow. He can't accomplish many things that are easy for healthy children.

He often kept asking his parents where my arm had gone, which made his parents both sad and painful.

Later, E-Nable, a non-profit 3D printing artificial hand organization, extended a helping hand for the little boy.

His parents Penny and Egan logged onto E-Nable's website and uploaded some of Charlie's photos and a series of his related measurement data, which will be used to design Charlie's prosthetic hands.

After E-Nable tailor-made it, it commissioned a London volunteer with a 3D printer to print it out and provide it to the Charlie family.

The color of the arm is red and blue on the theme of Spiderman. Charlie is very excited, he is very happy every day.

🌸3D printed heart for 4-year-old girl🌸

A 4-year-old girl named Adanelie Gonzalez suffered from a congenital disease called pulmonary venous drainage (TAPVC), which is characterized by the inability of the veins to transport blood to the correct part of the heart, causing breathing difficulties, lethargy and frequent Get ill.

Gonzalez's situation is not optimistic. If permanent repair is not possible, the medical team expects that she will only have a few weeks to live.

Finally, a cardiologist at the Miami Children's Hospital used 3D printing technology to create a replica of the girl’s heart.

By using the 3D printed model, the doctors used the model to perform multiple operations, create a surgical plan, and finally successfully performed the operation using the donor heart.

Now, Gonzalez's blood flow has returned to normal and is currently recovering in the hospital.

🌸3D printed prostheses for amputee turtles🌸

One leg of this 12-year-old female box turtle was amputated due to injury and infection.

Veterinarian Lesley Mailler realized that Stumpy could be fitted with a prosthesis, so she found the school where her daughter went to, May Howard Elementary School.

There is a group of students and teachers who are willing to help, and most importantly, they also have a 3D printer.  

After Mailler brought Stumpy to the classroom, a group of elementary school students used lunch, breaks, extracurricular activities, and even after school to design and 3D print new legs for the little turtles.

In order to design the best prosthesis, the children chose a ball caster design that can help Stumpy move fully.

Mailler connected the ball casters directly to the turtle, and finally glued all the parts together with Gorilla glue.

When testing the effect, the shy tortoise stretched out its shell and began to crawl, even if a towel in front of it blocked the way, it could quickly climb over.