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Georgia boy gets 'Star Wars'-themed prosthetic arm, thanks to 3-D printer
Thanks to a 3-D printer (and a group of Imperial Stormtroopers), a 7-year-old Augusta boy has a new prosthetic arm.
The Augusta Chronicle reports that Liam Porter "stepped out of the movie theater Saturday afternoon and saw the Imperial Stormtroopers descending on him and his mouth dropped open and then slowly spread into a smile. ...
"The troopers led him to the Party Room at Regal 20 Cinemas packed with family and friends, and there on a table lay his new left arm and hand, done up like the trooper’s arm, and one of their helmets."
The prosthesis was a great fit on Liam, who was born without part of his left arm, the Chronicle's Tom Corwin reported. According to the newspaper, as soon as Liam attached the prosthesis to his upper arm "he could flex the fist and hold a cup."
The arm was the work of John Peterson -- who printed and modified it -- with help from e-NABLE, "an online community of people with 3-D printers who use them to make prosthetics for those who need them," according to the Chronicle.
Such printers are capable of producing components and structures from plastic, concrete and other materials from digital blueprints. In January 2014, researchers at the University of Southern California announced the creation of a 3-D printer capable of creating a house in 24 hours.
Peterson said in an accompanying video that he was matched with Liam because they both live in Augusta.
Liam had previously worn a prosthesis, but his mom said he found it too unwieldy. His new "RIT Arm" was designed to be more adaptable and even futuristic. And because its design is open-source and it is made of plastic, the cost is a fraction of the norm (about $50, compared to $9,000, Peterson told the Chronicle).
"They want it to look as superhero-ish or as robotic as possible,” Peterson said. "To them, it is just cool. And it actually frees us up a lot because now we can feel free to try to experiment and do different things. Like, hey, why not put a clamp on a hand? It’s just a tool anyway.”
Troopers from the Georgia garrison of the 501st Legion also presented Liam with a “Friend of the Garrison” certificate.
Liam's one-word response to the whole thing? "Cool."
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