Hailey Dawson, a little girl of 7 will open Game 4 of the World Series, pitching with her 3D printed prosthetic hand.
Born with a disease called “Poland syndrome”, Hailey did not have the possibility to use her right hand…until the University of Nevada using Stratasys 3D printing solutions (Stratasys Fortus 250mc 3D Printer) manufactures a 3D printed prosthetic hand.
The little Hailey who can now take part in typical activities already has two such opening pitches under her belt in a quest to throw out the opening ball for each of the 30 MLB teams.
In addition to making her natural hand more functional, the 3D printed prosthetic hand is something Hailey is proud to show off, “which has helped her build confidence and self-esteem,” says Dawson, her father. “Other kids love it, and she gets attention for it.”
“The current hand design is good, but we’re looking at ways to improve it,” says Dr. O’Toole. “One student is designing a more optimal, more functional thumb with improved dexterity and gripping power. Another student is working on a way to make the individual fingers flex more independently. And a third student is researching ways the device could be motorized.
“Working on Hailey’s 3D printed hand has been a great learning experience for our students. And our Stratasys 3D Printer is a critical tool to print these prosthetics. All of the various hand parts that we make have small internal channels. We run small diameter cables or ‘tendons’ through the channels to actuate the finger gripping action. The Stratasys 3D Printer is able to reliably print small intricate internal channels that allow us to assemble the hand quickly after printing.”
It seems that as Hailey grows, everything has been taken into consideration to make the little girl used her 3D printed prosthetic hand as a normal hand. Lucky, what a chance, right?
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