A 10-year old girl, born with no left hand and a shortened forearm, is fulfilling her dream of playing the violin thanks to five engineering students who have built a prosthetic arm for her using a 3-D printer.

Prosthetic arm for 10-year old violinistIsabella Nicola Cabrera with her prostethic arm. Photograph © AP Photo/Steve Helber

As reported by Associated Press, 10-year old Isabella Nicola Cabrera received the prosthetic arm – coloured hot pink at her request – late last week. A fifth-grade student at Island Creek Elementary in Fairfax County, Virginia, Isabella had wanted to play a musical instrument since the school began offering string lessons when she was in the fourth grade.

The music teacher built her a prosthetic, which allowed her to move the bow with her left arm and finger the strings with her right hand. However, it proved too heavy for her to use. So, the teacher turned to George Mason University, also in Fairfax County, Virginia, where he himself studied.

Five undergraduates – Abdul Gouda, Mona Elkholy, Ella Novoselsky, Racha Salha and Yasser Alhindi – who were looking for a project to complete their senior bioengineering programme agreed to take up the challenge.

The team got started by reading some of the available literature about similar projects. They then enlisted the help of Elizabeth Adams, a music professor at the university, who gave them feedback as to what Isabella would need.

Over the course of a year, the students developed multiple prototypes, the first of which weighed 13 ounces (around 368 grams). After feedback from Cabrera, they managed to create a final version that weighed around 11 ounces.

Last Thursday, Cabrera received the final prosthetic – which has “Isabella’s attachment” emblazoned on it. As the fitting was adjusted, she played a few bars of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

The team had another surprise for her – a plug-in attachment designed to allow her to grip the handlebar of a bicycle.

Speaking to AAP about Cabrera’s dream of playing a string instrument, her mother, Andrea Cabrera, said: “I’ve never told her no. I told her we would try. There was no guarantee the school would be able to do an adaptation. Through these little miracles, it kept going forward.”

Cabrera herself never had any doubt that the students would pull it off and make her dream possible. “I felt right away that I’d be able to play,” she said. “I’ve always had perseverance.”

Of the engineering students who made it possible, she said: “I feel very blessed that I have this amazing group of people.”

Take a bow Isabella, along with the five Mason undergraduates.

 

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