texas

Texas Students Make 3-D Prosthetic Hands

A Texas school is using 3-D technology to help children in need. While prosthetics can be expensive, they're doing it at no cost to those who need them.

Engineering students at Summit Christian Academy in Cedar Park are using a 3-D printer to work on designs for prosthetic hands.

It can take up to three hours to print a larger part for the prosthetic hand, or as little as one minute to print a small part. Once printed, the students put the pieces together to form a functioning hand.

Senior Paris Varnier got the first finished product. She flexes her wrist to make the prosthetic hand open and close.

There's a learning curve, especially after going her whole life without a left hand.

"So I think with time it will get easier, but it's more control, even driving," said Varnier. "I have to push my arm up against the wheel, whereas I can grip now so it's simple tasks that I think people don't think about as often."

Varnier isn't the only one benefiting, students will continue to make prosthetic hands to donate.

"We want to find more people in the community that need help with prosthetic hands, so we're contacting others in the community,"  said Nicole Cooper, technology teacher at Summit Christian Academy.

Cost will now be one less obstacle, something that previously prevented Varnier from getting a permanent prosthetic.

"Not a lot of people have that opportunity to get one, it's just so expensive so being able to 3-D print and use that resource to bless people outside this school, I think is really awesome," she said. "I can already tell how beneficial it's going to be."

Some prosthetic hands can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on functionality and appearance. The basic hands Summit Christian Academy is printing, costs the school about $100 dollars per hand, which comes out of their curriculum budget.

As of now students are just printing prosthetic left hands, but they may eventually expand to create other types of prosthetics.

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