What started as a simple idea from 13-year-old Lois Agnello to print herself a 3D hand turned into something much bigger, a schoolwide project that’s now heading to Japan.
According to ABC Mid North Coast, Lois, who was born with only part of her left hand, approached her science and technology teacher at The Nature School in Port Macquarie with a bold idea. “Being born without a hand doesn’t really stop me,” she said. “I wanted to create my own hand with my friends so I could show them what it’s like.”
Her teacher, Lloyd Godson, said her enthusiasm was contagious. “It really struck a chord with a bunch of her peers,” he said. Before long, a group of Year 7 students were spending their lunch breaks learning to use the school’s 3D printer and experimenting with fibres and materials. “It was a big learning curve, most of them had never used a 3D printer before,” Mr Godson told ABC Mid North Coast.
The team used an open-source design from Australian charity Free 3D Hands, founded by Mat Bowtell, who creates assistive devices for free. “They were very enthusiastic in being a part of the brainstorming process in regard to what we might be able to improve in the next design,” Bowtell said.
After three months of trial and error, the first prototype was ready. The hand, which moves using upper-arm activity through a plastic wrist, exceeded Lois’s expectations. “I was like, ‘Oh my god this is crazy,’” she said. “Like, I didn’t even know if it would work.”
For Lois, the best part wasn’t just the finished hand, it was who she made it with. “The best experience about creating a 3D-printed hand was doing it with my friends,” she told ABC Mid North Coast.
Classmates Wren McDowell and Joel Banwell said the project made them want to do more. “It makes me feel pretty good, because we are designing loads of different styles,” Wren said. Joel added, “I felt fairly good that Lois was able to get a hand that worked and it made me want to make one that was even better.”
Now, the students have printed three more versions, each one more advanced, and are focusing on improving comfort and flexibility. Their work has caught international attention, and the team will represent Australia at the Be the Change Youth Summit in Tokyo later this year.
Mr Godson said it will be amazing to watch Lois share her journey on a global stage. “To see her in Tokyo talking about her limb difference and how Mr Bowtell’s work had helped her and others would be incredible.”
Lois hopes her story will inspire others to start their own projects. “Other kids will be like, ‘Woah, that’s cool, like, can I try that?’” she told ABC Mid North Coast.
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