Leon McCarthy was born 12 years ago in Marblehead (Massachusetts) without the fingers of one of his hands, and for a long time he was getting used to using it, acquiring skills adapted to his possibilities. But nevertheless, his father set out two years ago to find a way for the child to have a prosthesis to expand his movements, and do things that so far were impossible.
But of course, buying a prosthesis would have cost them between 20,000 and 30,000 US dollars, money that they could not afford. Do you think this slowed the father's initiative? Well, no, rather the opposite, since he was very determined, because he knew that being able to grab the handlebars of a bike, or take the pencil with your left hand would make your child happy.
So he started looking for answers and solutions online. And do you know that he found ?, instructions that the inventor Ivan Owen (of Washington) had published, referring to the design of a hand that could be 'manufactured' by a three-dimensional printer, the invention is called Robohand. Ivan had been helped by a colleague from South Africa, and Paul McCarthy had the help of a friend who allowed him to use one of these printers
After several weeks of work, and a cost of between five and 10 dollars, Leon had his hand, although he himself hesitates to affirm that he came to believe it was a 'crazy idea' when her father exposed her. During the interview with the journalist, the boy shows his most ingenious vein by telling that he looks like a cyborg, and that he is not different from the others, but very special. good for him!
When Leon tried it on for the first time he found it amazing to lift a bottle of water, it is an important detail for those of us who have all the fingers of our hands, because It helps us to put ourselves in the skin of this child, which on the other hand has a very positive attitude towards life, although considering the determination of the father does not surprise me at all.
Moreover, the low cost of the invention allows him and his father to change design, and of course, when he grows up, he will know how to build bigger hands, suitable for a teenager, or adult.
Technology at the service of people, with this brilliant example of how ideas can be printed, and above all, They are available to anyone who looks for them, because not all families in this situation can aspire to buy prostheses.
In this link, you have the subtitled video.
Video Header | CBS News on YouTube Via | Upsocl on Vimeo More information | Daily Mail On Peques and More | Otostick is an aesthetic concealer with detached ears awarded by the Obra Social “la Caixa”
