Feature: Colombian engineer 3D prints mechanical hands for disabled children

To help disabled children, Colombian engineer Cristian Silva, alongside a team of volunteers, has constructed mechanical hands using three-dimensional printing.

The project, which came about during Silva's dissertation for undergraduate degree in Mechatronics Engineering at the National University of Colombia, has already helped at least a dozen children born with a malformation in their hands and arms.

This partial hand prosthesis gives children the opportunity to develop normally throughout their daily life.

Angie Tatiana Lopez, a ten-year-old girl from the town of Chia, close to the country's capital of Bogota, was born with Moebius Syndrome, an extremely rare congenital neurological disease that can affect both hands.

With the help of Silva's mechanical hands, Angie Tatiana can now carry out everyday activities such as writing, playing with a ball, eating with cutlery and tying her shoelaces.

According to reports from Colombia's Ministry of Health, nearly one million people suffer some type of disability, and projections indicate that 2.3 percent of the South American country's population needs motor skills rehabilitation.

Silva told Xinhua about the benefits of his creations for children.

"Various elements come into play here; the psychological element, the children look complete therefore their self-esteem grows. We have seen this happen with children who have already adapted to the prosthesis. Another important element is that now the children can manipulate objects. They can now serve themselves (water and food). They have autonomy in their daily life," said Silva.

"These prostheses achieve three basic functions. They are cosmetic, they are functional and they also rehabilitate the arms, joints and tissue," added the Colombian engineer, stating that the project came about while looking for affordable bio-mechanical solutions. This was to enable people from all social backgrounds to have access to the support.

His first prosthesis was made for a soldier who had both his hands mutilated by an antipersonnel mine. Since that day, Silva's work has been more focused on younger patients.

The engineer assured that the work of his recently created foundation, Give Me Five, will go beyond making hands. It will work together with other foundations to monitor and guarantee the rehabilitation of his patients.

"At the moment, we are working with Cirec, a foundation well-known on a national level in the field of rehabilitation for people who are getting used to their prostheses. The idea is that once the children complete Cirec's process, they are completely rehabilitated and adapted to their new prostheses," continued Silva.

Silva also explained the materials used in the development of the prostheses. They consist of polymers with a high resistance and flexibility such as ABS, a material used to develop car-parts or Polylactic acid from corn starch.

To access his services, Silva has set up a website, www.givemefive.com.co, where parents can contact him to begin the design process, and the implementation and adaptation process of the prosthesis.

The solution was welcomed by patients and their families.

"She can grab small things like a pencil and also bigger things like a glass of water. Her self-esteem has risen because before she used to say to me 'Daddy, I want to have my hands'," said Angie Tatiana's father, Widilberto Lopez Garzon.

"Thanks to God she has been given this opportunity to use the mechanical hands today and that they are very easy to use and very lightweight. She doesn't get tired and can wear them all day without any problem," he added.

Today, Silva's waiting list for prosthetic hands consists of 30 patients. The engineer himself is looking forward to financial help from the Colombian government or from private companies. Endi