The article “7-Year-Old Girl Gets New Hand from 3-D Printer” by John Rogers talks about a little girl named Faith who got a cool 3-D printed hand after losing her own. This essay argues that technology is helpful to society, not harmful, based on what the author says. The story shows how 3-D printing makes life better for kids like Faith by giving them cheap, easy-to-use prosthetics. I’ll look at how it’s affordable and practical, using evidence from the article, and think about what that means for society. It’s pretty awesome how tech can fix problems like this, and the author seems to think so too, without mentioning any bad sides.
How 3-D Printing Makes Prosthetics Better and Cheaper
According to the author, technology like 3-D printing is super helpful because it makes prosthetics that are lightweight and cheap, which helps kids a lot. For example, Faith’s new hand weighs only a pound and costs just $50 to make, and it’s built from materials used for drones and car parts (Rogers, 2015). This is way better than traditional prosthetics that are bulky, heavy, and cost thousands of dollars, like the adult models that can run $15,000 to $20,000 with sensors (Rogers, 2015). The author points out that Faith can easily strap it on and use it to ride her bike or hold paper for drawing, which she couldn’t do as well before. Mark Muller, a professor who helped design it, says replacements are easy and cheap when she outgrows it, maybe in six months or a year. This shows technology solving real problems without being too expensive, making life easier for families. It’s not harmful at all here; instead, it’s a breakthrough for small, easy hands for children. Even though the technology is new and there’s a waiting list for groups like E-Nable, places like Build It Workspace can make them quickly, like overnight (Rogers, 2015). This openness, using open-source tech, means more people can get help fast. Research supports this too, like how low-cost 3-D printed hands are designed for kids with limb differences, making them accessible and customizable (Zuniga et al., 2015). The author doesn’t talk about any downsides, like maybe if the printer breaks or something, but focuses on the good stuff, like Faith smiling and picking her favorite colors, blue and pink. It’s clear the author thinks this tech is positive for society, helping people do everyday things like biking or schoolwork without struggling.
Why This Shows Technology Benefits Society Overall
The author makes it clear that technology isn’t harmful but actually improves society by giving people independence and joy, especially for someone young like Faith. After getting the hand, Faith says she doesn’t have to lean so much when riding her bike, which was hard with one hand, and her mom thinks she’ll never get off it (Rogers, 2015). This isn’t just about the hand; it’s about how tech lets her be a normal kid, playing with toys or drawing pictures. The story ends with her drawing her new hand, showing how happy she is. Without 3-D printing, she tried expensive prosthetics that were hard to use, but this one works by moving her upper arm, no fancy sensors needed. The company founder, Mark Lengsfeld, was nervous but saw it work great, and experts from the university helped, showing how tech brings people together (Rogers, 2015). Broader studies show 3-D printing in medicine helps with custom devices, reducing costs and improving quality of life, though there are limits like material strength (Ventola, 2014). But the author doesn’t mention harms, like maybe environmental stuff from plastic, so according to him, it’s all good. This example argues technology helps society by fixing health issues cheaply, especially for kids from compartment syndrome or other problems. It’s not perfect, but it’s way more helpful than harmful, letting Faith be carefree and active.
In conclusion, the author of the article shows technology is helpful to society through the story of Faith’s 3-D printed hand, which is cheap, light, and easy to use, letting her do fun things like biking. There’s no mention of harm, just benefits like affordability and quick replacements. This suggests tech can make big differences in people’s lives, especially for medical needs. If more tech like this spreads, society could be better for everyone with disabilities. It’s exciting, though we should think about possible downsides not in the article. Overall, based on the author, it’s definitely helpful.
References
- Rogers, J. (2015) 7-Year-Old Girl Gets New Hand from 3-D Printer. Associated Press.
- Ventola, C. L. (2014) Medical applications for 3D printing: current and projected uses. P&T: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Formulary Management, 39(10), pp. 704-711.
- Zuniga, J., Katsavelis, D., Peck, J., Stollberg, J., Petrykowski, M., Carson, A. and Fernandez, C. (2015) Cyborg beast: a low-cost 3d-printed prosthetic hand for children with upper-limb differences. BMC Research Notes, 8(1), p. 10.
