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Helping Hands

Prostheses made at 色香视频 for those in need
Story Series
Bridgewater Magazine

A young girl in New York named Brielle (pictured above) has a prosthetic hand that allows her to climb up and down the stairs of her family鈥檚 deck, grip the handlebars of her bicycle and do many of the typical things youngsters love doing.

Brielle鈥檚 prosthetic hand, instead of costing tens of thousands of dollars, was produced for next to nothing. It was made with a 3-D printer. And it was made at 色香视频鈥檚 Think Tank, the hub
of the institution鈥檚 new Makerspace network of labs and workshops.

鈥淲ords can鈥檛 express how much this means to us,鈥 said Brielle鈥檚 mother, who asked that only her daughter鈥檚 first name be used. 鈥淵our team did an amazing job, and, without you guys, she wouldn鈥檛 be able to do what she is able to do.鈥

Of all the many amazing things created in 色香视频鈥檚 Makerspace labs, most impressive 鈥 and impactful 鈥 might be the prosthetic hands and arms for children and adults in need.

Thanks to 3-D printers and open source designs (software whose original source code is freely available to anyone for use or modification), a prosthetic limb that typically costs thousands of dollars can be created for as little as $50.

鈥淧eople can鈥檛 afford them, especially for kids who outgrow them so quickly,鈥 said senior Kevin Monteith, a computer science major who works at the Think Tank.

He and his brother, Robert, an analytical instrumentation engineer at the Dana Mohler-Faria Science and Mathematics Center who manages the various Makerspace labs, were working with the Bizarbots robotics club at Holbrook High School when they learned of a nonprofit organization called e-NABLE. Now, thanks to the brothers鈥 efforts, 色香视频 is part of a large international network of volunteers who use 3-D printers to make free and low-cost prosthetic upper-limb devices.

Amanda Morrison, G鈥19, also assists the Monteiths with the project.

In addition to Brielle, one other person has been fitted with a 3-D printed prosthesis from 色香视频鈥檚 Makerspace, and as of mid-October, a third one was being prepared for another recipient.

The prostheses are sized by using a photograph of the intended recipient posing next to a ruler. Then, using the open source software, the prosthetic is designed and readied for one of the Think Tank鈥檚 3-D printers.

Kevin said plans call for the incorporation of sensors and motors to make tomorrow鈥檚 prostheses even more responsive and lifelike.

He added that projects of this kind are their own reward. 鈥淚t makes you feel great about the work you do,鈥 he said.

One thing鈥檚 for sure, there鈥檚 a young girl in New York now able to tool around on her little bicycle and do so much more who is very appreciative for that work.

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Bridgewater Magazine keeps alumni, faculty, students and their families, staff, and friends of 色香视频 informed about the university community and its impact on the region. This magazine is written, designed and edited by the Office of Creative Services and Publications with the needs of its varied audiences at heart and in mind.

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