They've printed 3D models of everything from their own heads to heel fractures, and now a group at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) is using their lab to create prosthetic hands for children and young adults in Zimbabwe. "There is a great need for this. Statistically in Zimbabwe seven per cent of the population has some form of disability," said Bo Simango, the assistive technology and outreach lead with MUN Med 3D. "And that amounts to 900,000 people."
The group was started about a year ago by two medical students — Michael Bartellas and Stephen Ryan — with a $25,000 grant and an interest in applying 3D printing technology to the medical field. Now they're planning to create hand prosthetics for 15 young people at the Jairos Jiri Southerton Children's Centre in Harare. The hands are made from polylactic acid plastic, and it only takes about seven dollars worth of the material to make a child-sized prosthetic.
Credits:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/3d-printer-prosthetic-hands-1.4052760
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