Padmaloshn, a 7-year-old boy from Kuala Lumpur, was born without a fully developed right hand. When Ayishwariya Menon, a volunteer teacher and Clinical Team Manager for Materialise Malaysia met the cheerful schoolboy, she decided to user her resources to 3D print a prothesis designed by the e-NABLE community.
“When I first met Padmaloshn in one of my classes, I was immediately struck by his resourcefulness,” recalls Ayishwariya. “He used both his arms to have a normal life, and he was clearly an ace at making LEGO models, drawing, painting — you name it. I was so impressed.”
His parents had already looked into available options, but a bionic hand would have been to costly for the family. Moreover, Padmaloshn would outgrow the prothesis soon, requiring a new one to be fitted.
Ayishwariya and her team adapted the open source design received by e-Nable for a better fit, before it was 3D printed using Laser Sintering Technology.
His new hand allows Padmaloshn to grip objects. “With the hand, he looks so much more confident,” his mother said. “I think it’s just a matter of time and learning: eventually he will be able to do a lot of things with the hand.”
You can read about many other inspiring e-NABLE stories here.
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