After his son's left arm was amputated days after his birth, Ben Ryan designed, 3D-printed and built him a new one.
Courtesy Ben Ryan
Ryan started creating homemade limb extenders for Sol to try increase his ability to accept a prosthetic from an early age. At just five weeks, Sol began using a little foam arm to bang his toys. This was the first time he had used his left arm since it was amputated, Ryan said.
Ben Ryan
But Ryan didn't stop there. He wanted his son to be able to have basic function from the age of 8 months -- such as holding a book or a cup.
Iolo Penri
Inspired by how spiders uses hydraulic pressure to push out their legs, Ryan devised a basic hydraulic prosthetic for his son to be able to grip things.
Iolo Penri
Sol immediately engaged with his new arm. "When he was given his first prosthetic he took to it, put it on straight away and never took it off," said Ryan.
Iolo Penri
Ryan hopes his device will let young children like Sol grow accustomed to a functioning prosthetic until they are old enough to use a more advanced device.
