Imagens – Tennessee Tech University
Engineering students created 3D-printed prosthetics for a 12-year-old girl to fulfill her dream of playing drums.
Aubrey Sauvie, 12, was born without hands, but that has never stopped her. From an early age, she showed strength and determination, so much so that she is a second-degree black belt, artist, and competitive dancer. And, thanks to the engineering students at Tennessee Tech University, she is now going to fulfill another dream: playing drums.
One of the programs developed by the university connects a child with special needs to a team of technology engineering students. The band teacher at Sauvie’s school recommended her as a candidate, and a group of 10 students decided to create a pair of customized prosthetics so the girl could fulfill her wish.
The solution they found was to design a pair of durable, flexible prosthetics with straps that could be 3D-printed. To the university newspaper, Stephen Canfield, a mechanical engineering professor at Tennessee Tech, said he didn’t believe it could work.
“When they shared their original design plan with me, I said they had a one-in-a-million chance of making it work, but they took the challenge and proved me wrong,” said Canfield. “It ended up becoming an incredible project that we are all excited about.”
In fact, Sauvie already plays the snare drum in her school band, but she couldn’t achieve the same sound quality and volume as other drummers. Now, with the new prosthetics, she can hold the drumsticks better and, with her skill and determination, produce the sounds she wants.
The engineering students spent a semester taking measurements and testing prototypes until they arrived at the ideal prosthetics. To the ‘Murfreesboro Post‘ Addie Johnson, one of the engineering team members, shared how Sauvie inspired the group: “We got to spend some time with Aubrey, observing how she interacts with objects in her daily life, and discovered that she is very intelligent, insightful, and capable, despite not having hands.”
According to Jennifer Sauvie, Aubrey’s mother, her daughter is an example to everyone: “She tends to be very inspiring, she always has been,” she said. “She is like a little light when she walks into a room.”
Imagens – Tennessee Tech University. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
