Bioniks, Xplorer 3D and Viscous.co have banded together to change a young boy’s life forever. Mir Bayyaan Baloch was born without a right hand, and now at the age of 5, he was finding life a bit difficult. Mir, who lives in Pakistan, is the first child in the region to receive a 3D printed limb, designed by UnLimbited.
UnLimbited lends a hand
Thanks to his father Mir Umer Baloch’s online research, Mir now has a hand designed by the team at UnLimbited. This device was created for those that have a functional elbow and a considerable amount of forearm but no wrist or not enough wrist/palm to power a wrist driven device. It is an open source design, and the team encourages the community to print and test the prosthetic, and come up with ideas for improvement. The video below is heart melting, with happy children gaining the ability to grip items with their new prosthetics. I may have cried a little.
Mir’s story
With the help of a Xplorer 3D printer stationed at the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Bioniks printed the UnLimbited Arm. They then adjusted the device to fit the boy’s arms. The work on the 3D printed arm was carried out at NED’s MakerStudio, a 3D Printing Facility that is running under Viscous.co.
Mir is now the first child in Pakistan with a 3D printed hand, which he probably doesn’t realize. His excitement will be in the ability to pick up his toys, and being able to high-five his dad for the first time.
About UnLimbited
UnLimbited is a project by the e-NABLE Community, an amazing group of individuals from all over the world who are using their 3D printers to create free 3D printed hands and arms for those in need of an upper limb assistive device.
They are people who have put aside their political, religious, cultural and personal differences – to come together and collaborate on ways to help improve the open source 3D printable designs for hands and arms for those who were born missing fingers or who have lost them due to war, disease or natural disaster.
The e-NABLE Community is made up of teachers, students, engineers, scientists, medical professionals, tinkerers, designers, parents, children, scout troops, artists, philanthropists, dreamers, coders, makers and every day people who just want to make a difference and help to “Give The World A Helping Hand.”
