SPOKANE, Wash. – A Spokane fifth grader has his very own 3D printed arm with the help of Eastern Washington University.
Isaiah Strom is like any typical 5th grader. He likes Star Wars, has a quirky sense of humor and a growing list of talents. The Eastern Washington University's Engineering Department 3D printed him a prosthetic arm.
“I never thought I would get one,” Isaiah said.
Isaiah's math teacher reached out to Eastern's Engineering Department to see if they could use publicly available plans to 3D print Isaiah a prosthetic arm. Department technician Frank De Abreu agreed.
“Seeing it put on and how excited he was,” De Abreu explained.
It took about two days to 3D print all ten pieces that make the arm.
De Abreu said they used a metal pipe to mold the forearm piece from flat to round. Isaiah has had a few weeks to get used to his new gadget and he is already seeing how it can take him to great heights.
Eastern's engineering team plans to stay in touch with Issaiah and continue to upgrade his prosthetic arm.
In fact, Isaiah said he is hoping those upgrades include something fit for a superhero.