3D Printing Prosthetic Arms for Children of War-Torn South Sudan
The war in Sudan has left over 50,000 amputees and many are children. Not Impossible, a Venice, CA-based media and technology company, is using 3D printing to provide hands and arms for amputees. After meeting Daniel, a 14-year old who had both of his arms blown off by a bomb, Not Impossible founder Mick Ebeling set up a 3D-printing prosthetic lab and training facility in Sudan's Nuba Mountains. In November 2013, Daniel received version 1 of his left arm and fed himself for the first time in two years. The Daniel Hand came to fruition by crowd-sourcing innovators including the South African inventor of the Robohand, an Australian MIT neuroscientist, and a 3D printing company owner from Northern California. The project was supported by the NY-based precision engineering company Precipart and by Intel.