Mar.14, 2014
Mick Ebeling, founder of The Ebeling Group and CEO of Intel-backed Not Impossible Labs, is featured in Intel's latest addition to its 'Look Inside' campaign for love, belief, courage and power.
After Ebeling read a story about a young boy who lost his arms during a bombing raid in Sudan, he decided to help. With the help of an American doctor Dr. Tom Catena, he created the world's first 3D-printing prosthetic lab and training facility in Sudan's Yida Refugee Camp to help those who have lost limbs to warfare.
He assembled a team that included the likes of Richard Van As, the South African inventor of the Robohand, and Printrbot, manufacturers of affordable 3D printers. Together, using Richard's arm design, they built a low-cost solution that could be carried to the Nuba Mountains to make arms on demand.
"Richard tweaked his design so that it would work in Sudan." When you make these arms, it's not as easy as just printing and assembling. You have to factor in ergonomics and physiology of each person. "Richard taught me how to do that."
16-year-old Daniel, who was located in a 70,000 person refugee camp in Yida, had both his arms blown off at age 14, and considered his life not worth living. On November 11, 2013, he received a 3D printed version 1 of his left arm. The Daniel Hand enabled him to feed himself for the first time in two years. With 3D printing, Ebeling managed to give hope and independence back to the kid.
Almost immediately thereafter, Ebeling began working with a local hospital, setting up a classroom to teach Daniel and others how to make prosthetic limbs for their wounded friends and neighbors. "Our goal was then to teach other people to print prostheses so that work can continue after we left." says Ebeling. By the time the team returned to their homes in the U.S., the local trainees had successfully printed and fitted another two arms.
How do you unlock the potential to change lives? In this three-minute film from Venables Bell + Partners and director Lucy Walker (twice an Oscar nominee for her documentaries Waste Land and The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom), Ebeling explains, "You can't put the pieces back together in someone else's life." "But maybe if we print them new pieces, they'll start to put them back together themselves."
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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Amazing. Looking to do the same for other people in nedd after getting a 3d printer.
Julio wrote at 3/14/2014 7:09:47 PM:
Inspiring. All the dumbs printing guns just because they can should see this.
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