REDMOND, Wash. — A little boy from Redmond, who has only one hand, is now able do things he never thought possible thanks to 3-D technology and the kindness of strangers.
With the help of his mother, 7-year-old Edmond LaFranca slips on his first-ever prosthesis.
It’s an assistive device that gives this second-grader the ability to grip everything, from his toys to his blanket.
His mother, Amy LaFranca, said this gadget has been amazing in terms of opening doors for her young son.
"It's remarkable how quickly he took to it," said LaFranca.
The two men who helped make it possible are Microsoft software engineers Tony Seo and Matt Fleming.
“I thought it was an incredible idea but I didn’t know it was possible,” said Seo.
Seo and Fleming said they have always been interested in 3-D technology.
So when they got a request from a fellow employee, who also happens to be Edmond’s mother, to create a prosthetic arm from a 3-D printer, they took on the challenge.
“Years of 3-D printing, I have never done something like this,” said Fleming. “It’s so good to try something completely new.”
At the Microsoft experimental hub called The Garage, the men brainstormed ways to use biodegradable materials made from cornstarch to mold the arm.
They then added strings and rubber bands to act as tendons.
The whole contraption took 12 hours to create on a 3-D printer and costs just $25.
“The need is out there,” said Seo. “People are just not aware this is a possibility."
The prosthetic can expand with heat to grow with Edmond.
Eventually, his mother wants to get him a bionic hand.
For now, she said her son uses the prosthesis when he needs it. Overall, he is just like any other 7-year-old boy.
“We never treated him any differently,” says LaFranca. “We told him it's a challenge not a disability.”
Microsoft is matching the volunteer hours the engineers put into creating these arms. As more employees volunteer their time, that could mean tens of thousands of dollars in funding to help other families in need of prostheses.