This 'Robohand' Shows The Vast Potential Of 3D Printing

Megan Rose Dickey/Business Insider

3D printing technology has officially hit the mainstream with the merger of MakerBot and Stratasys. But tinkerers, hobbyists, and medical professionals have been working to improve lives and revolutionize health through 3D printing since the '80s.

Richard Van As of Johannesburg lost two of his fingers in an accident with a table saw. So he started looking for a way to fix his hand, NPR reports. He ended up connecting with a special effects artist from Bellingham, Wash. named Ivan Owen.

The two were able to solve Van As' problem by building a mechanical finger. But one day, Van As received a call from a mother seeking help for her son named Liam. The five-year-old boy was born without fingers on his right hand due to a rare congenital condition called amniotic band syndrome.