An enthusiastic group of volunteers are using 3D printing to give the world a “helping hand”. In only a matter of months, their collective passion has led to the creation of more than 10 new designs for 3D printed prosthetics.

They are now refining their “raptor” hand, and a bright pink one was sported by a very proud youngster, five year old Hayley Fraser, from Inverness in Scotland UK. She may well be the youngest person in the UK to have a 3D printed prosthetic hand.

Hayley’s parents were enterprising enough to seek help from E-nable. David and Zania made a plaster cast of their daughter’s left hand and gave it to experts at the organisation. The little girl was born with malformed fingers, and all are hopeful that the new device might make her life a good deal easier. Many of the volunteers are university academics, artists, designers and engineers, most of whom connected initially through the medium of the internet. The 3D printing movement to help others seems to be gathering pace.

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