UTA Researchers Turn to 3-D Printing to Help 7-Year-Old Boy

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are turning to cutting-edge technology as they try to make a difference in the life of a 7-year-old boy.

Garrett Clark is an adventurous boy who loves to learn about the world around him and explore it in his own unique way.

"He's a very happy kid," said his mother, Jennifer Clark. "Nothing slows him down. You wouldn't even know he's missing a hand."

Garrett was born without most of his right arm — and it's why he and his family came to UT-Arlington's main library this week.

Inside the library is a space called the "FabLab," full of the latest 3-D printers, laser cutters and other fabrication tools that students and staff can use to create just about anything they can imagine.

"I just thought, 'Wow, this would be fun,'" said his father, Andrew Clark. "It would just be fun to try this. Why not?"

Andrew Clark is a communications professor at UTA. He made it a point to stop by the FabLab after hearing about it — and became particularly interested when he saw the generic prosthetic hands they made using the 3-D printers. He approached them about creating one for his son.

"We've made models, but we haven't yet had an actual person that we could fit the prosthesis to," said Katie Musick-Peery, interim co-manager of the FabLab. "So we were thrilled not only to find somebody that needed a hand, but somebody who was the child of a faculty member here on campus, so that we can give back to our very own community."

During the Clarks' visit, technicians took measurements of both of Garrett's arms to help design the prosthesis. They’ll compile that information into a file that will be sent to an organization called e-NABLE, which will then finalize the designs for the arm.

The team admits that creating a custom arm will present challenges but says tackling them head-on is how to push this technology forward and show people that it can make a difference.For example, an arm made by 3-D printers will cost far less than a traditional prosthesis.

"It's very, very inexpensive," said Musick-Peery. "It's about $50 to $150, depending on the machine and the size of the hand."

Andrew Clark is optimistic the end result will be a win-win — the researchers will gain valuable experience and his son will come away with a functioning prosthetic arm that will be easy to replace as he grows.

"I just think this will give him a little bit more confidence. He'll feel like, 'I'm not so different,'" said Andrew Clark. "It's just amazing. And it's great to work at an institution where we've got cutting-edge technology like this."

It will take several weeks to finalize the designs, print the arm, assemble it and then test it to see if it meets Garrett's needs.

UTA is currently in the process of expanding the FabLab to make room for more machines and technology.