How 3-D Printing Helps This Girl Move Like Never Before

Hugging, throwing, eating food. Many kids don’t think too much about these simple tasks, but for one little girl named Hannah Mohn, all of these actions were nearly impossible to do on her own.
Born with Arthrogryposis, the rare neuromuscular disease made Hannah’s muscles very weak and severely limited her ability to move. But thanks to innovations in 3-D printing, Hannah can now move, Truth Atlas reports. She’s fitted with a nifty exoskeletal arm called the Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton (WREX). You can check out how the innovation works wonderfully on Hannah, who is now four years old, in the video above.
There are several benefits to printing prosthetics in plastic. It’s lightweight, which is good for small children, and it’s customizable, which is better than other materials as kids grow bigger. Finally, plastics are much more affordable over metal braces — making it music to any struggling family’s ears.
MORE: Kate’s Hand: Using a 3-D Printer to Build a Toddler’s New Hand
Hannah’s mom, Jennifer, was initially told by doctors when she was pregnant that Hannah might not even survive birth. Now, as she told CNN, the world is at her daughter’s fingertips.
“My hope is that she grows up to be as independent as she can,” she said. “I’d love to see her go to college. As sassy as she is and as much as she likes to be in charge, she might run for president someday — who knows?”
She adds, “Up to this point there hasn’t been much that she has let stop her. Whatever it is, she’s going to achieve it.”