‘Superhero’ 3D printed hands help kids dream in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Being born without fingers can be tough for any child. Getting new ones — especially red and blue superhero themed digits — has made 8-year-old Kaori Misue a vibrant playground star.
Flexing her wrist muscles to bend the plastic fingers, she can work with tape and stickers at an arts and crafts class. She can ride a bike, skip a rope and bake pastries with her mom. Her amazed friends have even begged to borrow the 3D printed hand, which looks a little like a cheerily colored Transformers toy strapped to her wrist.
“It was magical,” her mom, Karina Misue, said. “The confidence it gives kids is tremendous. They’re using it with pride.”
Hundreds of Argentine kids like Kaori who were born without limbs are now able to write, play sports and make music thanks to low-cost prosthetic hands devised by Gino Tubaro, a 21-year-old inventor whose work was praised by President Barack Obama during a visit to Argentina last year.