No longer will arthrogryposis rule her life, underdeveloped muscles or no

Jan 13, 2014 15:23 GMT  ·  By

Arthrogryposis is a medical condition that prevents one's arm muscles from developing properly, and it is something that four-year-old Hannah Faith has had to live with since she became self-aware. Not anymore though.

Well, the illness actually hasn't gone away, and isn't going away any time soon either, but a workaround has been found.

Not a perfect workaround, but still one that will allow Hannah to lift toys, eat on her own, hug her parents, things she would never have been able to do otherwise.

The workaround is a pair of 3D printed arms made by Tariq Rahman, PhD, senior research engineer at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del.

The arms are known as the Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton, or WREX. It makes us think of a certain alien from a computer game. An alien that is physically superior to humans and has magnificent regenerative abilities.

Whether or not the play on the name was intentional, we don't know for sure, but whatever the case, the arms were good news for little Hannah Faith. Especially since arthrogryposis is not even the only medical condition she has.

"They told us to make arrangements for her," said Jennifer Mohn, Hannah's mom, about what the doctors told her during the later months of her pregnancy. "She was just really unable to move. To see her have the ability to reach her arms out, to reach out and grab something is just a really amazing feeling for a mom."

So far, WREX has helped about two dozen children with muscle disabilities gain some measure of self-reliance. The first case was that of a two-year-old called Emma, and Hannah is one of the latest.

WREX is built out of lightweight plastic and rubber bands, and can be custom made over night if you have access to a 3D printer.

"If you do the geometry right and you put the bands in the correct place, you can get this floating sensation for a kid," said Rahman.