CNN —
Aubrey Soby, a 12-year-old Tennessee middle school student who was born without hands, says she can now hit the snare drum as hard and as fast as she wants.
This is all thanks to a generous donation from a group of engineering students from the university, who created a custom 3D printed hand for the budding young musician.
Ten students from Tennessee Tech University built a special prosthetic limb for Aubrey, who was born with a triple amputee, as part of their spring semester mechanical mechanics class.
Her mother, Jennifer Sorby, told CNN that her daughter was missing her arm below the elbow and her left leg was partially amputated.
Her new prosthetic limbs have made a big difference for Aubrey, who began taking drum lessons last year, inspired by her older sister, who plays percussion.
“Before I used to hold drumsticks and such in the crease of my elbow, but over time they would slip out depending on how hard or fast I was playing,” says Aubrey, who lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn. “But with this product, they're more stable and don't break.”
Her band director was aware of a program at Tennessee Tech called Tech Engineering for Kids and contacted Steven Canfield, the mechanical engineering professor who oversees the program.
Tech Engineering for Kids, a junior-level engineering program at Canfield University, brings students together in teams to design custom assistive technology for special needs children in the Middle Tennessee area.
“I have a network of medical professionals, care coordinators, therapists and others who work with children with special needs in the area, and they can help me identify children and families who need help,” Canfield told CNN.
He then pairs the child with a group of students who design the type of technology the child needs, build it, test it and deliver it to the family over the course of a semester, he said.
Canfield said his students have made toys and devices for children with sensory disabilities.
According to her mother, Aubrey previously used a Hero myoelectric 3D printed prosthetic arm.
“She only has one hand, so it wasn't really suited to holding the drumstick,” Jennifer Sauvy said.
The difference in length also presented a challenge, as Aubrey tried to play the drums using one arm.
“She wasn't able to use her Hero Arm to play drums or percussion,” Jennifer Sauvy said.
Jennifer Sauvy
Aubrey Sauvy is pictured here as a baby with her first prosthetic arm.
Aubrey's new prosthetic limbs are more versatile, her mother added.
“What she printed now is just to hold the drum and the drumsticks, but if she wanted to hold something like a kayak ore, she could theoretically just print another tip that would attach to the base of this same prosthetic,” Jennifer Soby said. “That's pretty cool.”
Tennessee Tech students worked with Aubrey throughout the semester to make sure her 3D-printed prosthetic arm fit her perfectly.
“We would send Aubrey designs and she'd say, 'OK, this is nice, but it's a little long, can you make it shorter?' or 'It's a little warm on your arm, can you make it a little more breathable?'” Zach Henson, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at Tennessee Tech University who co-led the project, told CNN.
“So now we're trying to think through, 'Okay, how do we maintain the design we're aiming for but adapt it to meet new needs?'” Henson said of the process.
Branson Blaylock, a senior mechanical engineering student and project leader, said the team made about six iterations of the prosthetic before they were satisfied with the final product.
Aubrey said he wasn't sure if the 3D printed hand would fit him, but it turned out to be a success.
“I was really excited to think I'd be able to actually use this and try it out,” said Aubrey, who hopes to become an ultrasound technician someday.
She added: “It's become a really convenient and useful tool to help me with my drumming.”
Jennifer Sauvy
Aubrey Sauvy, who was born without both arms and with a partial left leg amputee, has broken the board to earn her second-degree black belt in taekwondo.
Jennifer Sauvy said she knew while pregnant with Aubrey that he would be born with limb defects.
“Obviously it was really scary, but if I knew then what I know now, I think it would have been a much happier, more enjoyable pregnancy because she really wasn't going to let anything get in her way or get in her way,” Jennifer Sauvy said.
She said her daughter has participated in activities including dance, taekwondo, art and music.
A group of students who worked closely with the 12-year-old girl to measure and fit her prosthetic limbs found her to be an inspiration.
“When I saw what she was doing, I thought there was no way she could do it. She's so determined,” said Micah Page, a mechanical engineering student at Tennessee Tech University. “She makes it look easy to live without using her hands.”
Canfield said the custom prosthetics should last Aubrey for the next few years before she outgrows them.
