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| Image source: Digital Trends |
Meet Emma, a two year old girl who was born with a condition that prevented her from moving her arms. The condition, called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (or AMC), causes the joints to stay in one position permanently. Little Emma could not move her limbs, which meant that she could not do what other little children like to do – draw, color, pop candy in her mouth, comb her hair, and lots of other similar fun things.
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| Image Source: Digital Trends |
Emma’s parents attended a conference in Philadelphia where they met the developers of Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton (WREX), an exoskeleton that helps children with musculoskeletal disabilities move their arms in 3D space. Since Emma was very little, the folks behind WREX designed a jacket that would fit her small body and weigh significantly less, and “printed” it out using a Stratasys 3D printer! The arms for the jacket are made out of the same kind of plastic used in Lego blocks, and resistance bands are used to adjust the tension in the arms.
Emma has already outgrown her first jacket, but getting her a new jacket was not a problem – a new one was simply printed out of the 3D printer! Emma is a happy girl now, and she can do everything that other girls her age do!
Watch this video to hear Emma’s story and watch her progress.
