Researchers use 3D-printer to create new “magic arms” for disabled toddler (VIDEO)
Researchers at the University of Glasgow suggested in a paper published on April 15, 2012, that 3D printers could be used in the future to create customized drugs making healthcare access more efficient and affordable.
We knew 3D printing technology was cool – but for a 2-year-old with a congenital disease that has fused her joints, a 3D-printed "exoskeleton" is allowing her to use her arms for the very first time.
DigitalTrends.com reported that medical researchers at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children used a Stratays Dimension 3D printer to build the plastic supports, which help young Emma use her arms as a normal child might.
The arms are printed from the same plastic that's used in LEGO building toys, says DigitalTrends.
Further, as the plastic supports are made using a 3D printer, it's convenient to swap out broken parts, as well as scale the "arms" up as Emma grows.
Read more: How a geek dad and his 3D printer aim to liberate LEGOs
High-tech treatments aren't out of the norm for the Delaware hospital: Hospital and Health Networks Magazine named it among the "most wired" hospitals and health systems in the USA.
Watch video of the remarkable "magic arms" below.