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Innovation

3D prosthetics issued to child casualties of war in Sudan

How are 3D printers improving the lives of people in war-torn Sudan?
Written by Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer
 
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Timoteo Freccia

Thousands of people have endured injury and loss due to the war in Sudan, and many of these victims are children. For young people that have lost limbs due to the conflict, one company is offering hope in the form of cheap prosthetics created in a number of hours.

Not Impossible Labs, an organization that "crowd-solves" healthcare issues, took an interest in a case published by Time Magazine in 2012. Daniel Omar, 16, lost both his arms to an Antonov bomb while at home, and the case inspired Mick Ebeling, co-founder of the group, to take on the challenge of giving Omar usable limbs once more.

Ebeling brought together a team to create affordable, 3D-printed prosthetic arms, and the project was later backed by Intel, engineering firm Precipart and the maker of the Robohand

The team were able to print an arm ready for fitting in roughly six hours -- for a total cost of $100.

The challenge, dubbed "Project Daniel," was then ready to go. Heading to Sudan laden with 3D printers, laptops and plastic, Ebeling was able to create an arm for the teenager.

After the success of Project Daniel's first recipient, Ebeling then went on to train locals in using the equipment to print additional prosthetics. In a video discussing the scheme, Ebeling said:

"If we could teach the locals how to do it themselves, the project could live long after we left."

Since vacating the war-torn country, the group says that the lab has churned out an arm a week, and the teenager is now working in hospital to help other amputees. In a press release issued by Not Impossible, Elliot V Kotek, content chief and co-founder said:

"We are on the precipice of a can-do maker community that is reaching critical mass. There is no shortage of knowledge, and we are linking the brightest technical minds and creative problem-solvers around the globe. Project Daniel is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg."
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Timoteo Freccia
 Via: Huffington Post | Not Impossible Labs

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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