Family and friends gathered in a room to help surprise 7-year-old Liam Porter with a new prosthetic arm — not just any prosthetic, but one built with a 3-D printer to look like the arm of a “clone trooper” from Star Wars films.
The arm’s designer, John Peterson, arrived flanked by life-sized troopers in costume and presented the gift to the thrilled Augusta, Georgia boy.
“He’s going to have the coolest arm in school,” Peterson told the Augusta Chronicle.
Last year Peterson joined e-NABLE, an online community of people with 3-D printers who use them to make prosthetics for others who need them. The group originally consisted of a couple of guys who created something to help one child in need. It has grown into a worldwide movement of tinkerers, engineers, 3D print enthusiasts, occupational therapists, university professors and designers who want to make a difference.
(WATCH the video below, or READ the story in the Chronicle)