UNC students use 3D printers to create prosthetic hands for children

The Helping Hand Project is a nonprofit that prints 3D prosthetic hands for children who cannot use or afford traditional devices. Founder Jeff Powell first started using a 3D printer as a biomedical engineering student. Now, the project uses open source and custom designs to make its prosthetics. These are produced free of charge at UNC-Chapel Hill through the Be a Maker (BeAM) network of makerspaces and help children who suffer from symbrachydactyly, a condition where the hand stops developing early in amniotic development. UNC General Administration President Margaret Spellings observes.