Summit Christian Academy in Cedar Park is using its 3D printer to help kids in need of a prosthetic hand. On Thursday, fifth-grade students were working on computers, adjusting designs to print prosthetic hands. Engineering students then put the pieces together to form a functional hand.
Senior Paris Varnier got the first finished product. She flexes her wrist which allows the prosthetic hand to open and close. But there’s a learning curve, especially after going her whole life without a left hand; Varnier wasn’t born with one. “So I think with time it will get easier, but it’s more control, even driving, I have to push my arm up against the wheel, whereas I can grip now so it’s simple tasks that I think people don’t think about,” explains Varnier.